BROWN ANT, 291 
diately demolished, and new walls and 
ceilings were rebuilt at the necessary 
elevation. 
Lucy, Do these brown ants eat in- 
sects and meat, as the black ants do ? 
Mother, They eat fruit, and a great 
variety of articles ; but their favourite 
food is a sweet fluid, like honey, which is 
obtained by a small insect, the aphis , 
from the sap of vegetables. 
Lucy, Then they kill the aphis, I 
dare say, and suck its honey, as the 
wasp serves the bee ? 
Mother, No ; they seem to have a 
mutual friendship for each other, and 
their interchange of good offices is quite 
voluntary. The ants defend the aphides 
from their enemies, assist in hatching 
their eggs, protect them when young, 
and frequently pat them on the back 
with their antennae, in the same way as 
they caress their own young. A single 
aphis can give out enough of this sweet 
fluid to feed several ants; and is even 
thought to retain it for a considerable 
o 2 
