294 LIFE AND HER CHILDREN. 
and casting them out of the nest, and as in many 
cases whole seeds are either thrown out by mistake 
or dropped on their way in, one of these ants' nests 
may be found by noticing the little crop of oats, 
chickweed, and other grasses, which spring up round 
the refuse-heap. 
By cutting a nest open or taking a good piece 
out of it with a trowel, the little granaries, in which 
these seeds are stored, may be laid bare. They are 
about the size of a gentleman's gold watch, and 
are connected by narrow galleries. It is a curious 
fact, that though these seeds grow easily when they 
are sown, yet in the granaries it is very rare to find 
one sprouting. This is probably owing to the care 
which the ants take to keep them dry, making the 
roof and sides of the granaries firm and hard, and 
bringing the seeds out on a warm day and spreading 
them round the nest, so that any moisture is drawn 
out of them. Mr. Moggridge even saw the ants, 
after a shower of rain had made the seed germinate, 
bite off the point of the little root which was begin- 
ning to show itself. 
In this way the ants store up seeds in the summer, 
having often a large series of galleries and granaries, 
so that from half a pint to a pint of seeds has been 
taken from one nest ; and in the winter, when food 
is scarce, the starch in these seeds supplies them with 
nourishment. 
And now one vexed question still remains — have 
these clever little insects yet learnt to sow seeds as 
well as to gather them ? This still remains to be 
proved ; but if we travel to Texas we find that one 
thing is certain — namely, that they have learnt to 
