LITTLE BUSYBODIES. 
BELLE P. DOWNEY. 
ONE'S own observation tends to 
confirm the wonderful stories 
told by naturalists about ants. 
They have a claim to rank next 
to man in intelligence. 
Seven or eight ants once attempted 
to carry a wasp across the floor. In 
the course of the journey they came to 
a crevice in a plank caused by a splinter 
which had been torn off. After re- 
peated attempts to cross this deep ra- 
vine all the ants abandoned the task as 
hopeless except one who seemed to be 
the leader of the enterprise. He went 
on a tour of investigation, and soon 
found that the crevice did not extend 
very far in length. He then went after 
the retreated ants. They obeyed the 
summons and returned, when all set 
about helping to draw the wasp around 
the crevice. This little incident proves 
the ant is possessed of the power of 
communicating its wishes to others. 
Ants have been seen to bite off the legs 
of a cockroach in order to get it into 
the narrow door of their nest. The 
brain of ants is larger in proportion to 
their size than that of any other insect. 
Naturalists think that they have mem- 
ory, judgment, experience, and feel 
hatred and affection for their kind. 
They are valorous, pugnacious, and ra- 
pacious, but also inclined to be helpful 
as they assist each other at their toilet. 
They have a peculiarity among insects 
of burying their dead. It is a curious 
fact that the red ants, which are the mas- 
ters, never deposit their dead by the 
side of their black slaves, thus seeming 
to show some idea of caste. 
Ants yawn, sleep, play, work, prac- 
tice gymnastics, and are fond of pets, 
such as small beetles, crickets, and 
cocci, which they entertain as guests in 
their homes. 
Indeed, ants are social, civilized, in- 
telligent citizens of successfully gov- 
erned cities. Even babies are claimed 
by the state. Their government is a 
happy democracy where the queen is 
"mother" but not ruler, and where the 
females have all the power. The queen 
is highly honored and at death is bur- 
ied with magnificence. In her devo- 
tion to her lot in life she pulls off her 
glittering wings and becomes a willing 
prisoner in the best room of a house of 
many apartments. Here she is cared 
for by devoted followers who polish 
her eggs, carry them upward to the 
warmth of the sun in daytime, and 
back to the depths of the habitation to 
protect them from the chill of night. 
These eggs are so small as scarcely to 
be seen by the eye alone. They are 
bright and smooth, without any divi- 
sion. It is very strange, but these eggs 
will not develop into larvae unless care- 
fully nursed. This is effected by lick- 
ing the surface of the eggs. Under the 
influence of this process they mature 
and produce larvae. The larvae are fed, 
like young birds, from the mouths of 
the nurses. When grown they spin 
cocoons and at the proper time the 
nurses help them out by biting the 
cases. The next thing the nurses do is 
to help them take off their little mem- 
branous shirts. This is done very 
gently. The youngsters are then 
washed, brushed, and fed, after which 
the teachers educate them as to their 
proper duties. 
It is astonishing how many occupa- 
tions are followed by these little busy- 
bodies whose size and weakness are 
made up for by their swiftness, their 
fineness of touch, the number of their 
eyes and a powerful acid which they 
use in self-defense. Their jaws are so 
much like teeth that they serve for cut- 
ting, while their antennae are useful for 
measurement, and their front feet serve 
as trowels with which to mix and 
