News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-04-09
Tom thought it most skillful device

| IO duObueT HILL, mucu larger Uudu bLt
first, with pillars here and there, to sup
port the roof.
"This is the grand assembly-room,
said the guide.
Then she led him into another lobby
having a row of cells on each side.
They mounted staircase, and passed
through gallery, which also had rows
of cells on each side. There was some.
thing, or somebody, in every cell.
Now and again, they met long
string of ants bearing burdens. The
leader of one of these-a big-iawed ami
siezed Tom with his nippers as they
were passing, and would have made
them meet in his flesh, had not the guide
signaled that he was friend.
Tom might have grown weary with
his long tramp, but for some entertain
ing accounts of other ant nests by the
guide. She described one followed out
OF the branches and twigs of thorn tree
for the sake of honey hidden there; an
other purse-shaped, made by gluing
leaves together while on the tree; and
another, stranger still, made with dried
cakes of refuse, arranged like tiles on the
branches of tree, one large cake form
ing the roof.
As they came to one cell Joyous com
pany passed out; having among them a
large ant of very stately bearing.
"The queen the queen r.cried the
guide. "Isn't she right noble lady ?"
Tom took note how very devoted and
attentive the ants were to their queen
Her body-guard lifted her gently over
all rough places; and when the royal
party met troop of working ants, the
latter divided and saluted the former as
it passed along.
Turning into the cell the queen had
just left they saw the floor covered with
the smallest eggs Tom had ever seen.
They were scarcely bigger than a pin
point. "But come this way" said the
guide, ''and I'll show you the nursery.
This was one of the cosiest cells in the
whole nest. Here, ranged against the
walls like classes in school, were rows
upon rows of small, white, legless grubs.
They looked like tiny sugar Ioaves, and
were made up of eleven or twelve rings.
Every little creature had its nurse, who
was either feeding it or washing it, or
just taking it out for an airing, or bring
ing it in.
"What in the world are these funny
little things ?" asked Tom.
"Why, they have come out of eggs
like those you'sawi just now; and if spared
will be full-grown ants some day. Now
you must see the spinning room." So
saying, the guide led across a passage
into another cell.
Here a number of fine fat grubs were
spinning gauze dresses for themselves,
which were to shroud their bodies from
top to toe. A few were spinning an ad-
ditioral coat of silk to put over the
eauze dress.
''These are their nightgowns, said
The guide. "And the moment they are
leep for month or six weeks without
waking"
Tom thought that would be nice.
The spinning room led to the dormi-
ory. Here Tom saw what at first looked
ike piles of broken twigs and tiny balls
If silk; but when he examined the hits
If stick more closely he could trace the
ace and limbs of an insect through the
yauze covering. They looked, for all |
he world, like the pictured mummies he |
lad seen in books. The guards in the |
DOM looked rather savagely at Tom
When he entered, but glance from the |
suide made all right.
''You need not walk so softly. A |
thousand cannon, laundering over them,
yonid not rouse them until they had |
lept their sleep out. As soon as they |
how the least sign of waking, however,
hey will be taken into the next room
md swathed."
To this room they now proceeded.
The sight Tom saw here interested him |
ruch more than anything ne had yet
zen in the ant-world. The floor was
trewn with mummy-like forms, and
iIk balls like those in the room just |
eft; but they were stirring little, as
i alive. Mounted on each one were |
hree or four ants, who carefully assisted |
he inmates to Inwrap themselves; then !
hey took the limbs from their sheaths |
md smoothed them out; and at last the |
.eleased prisoner stood up on its six
egs, IN all the freedom of a full-grown |
mt. What change from the little |
helpless worm
Tom examined one Of these brand
lew ants very minutely. He found the
mouth had two pairs of jaws, which
moved from side to side, and not up
md down, like his own. One pair of
avs were Ike toothed scissors, with a
beak. These, he earned.
were to fight with. From the front of |
he head sprang two long -iointed things,
ike thrasher's fail, but clCb-shaped
at the end. The guide said these were
the most useful things an ant had-arms,
hand, and nose all in one; and that if
she lost them she was the most helpless |
Of creatures. But what wonderful eyes !
There were five of them altogether
three arranged in the form of triangle
on the top of the head, and one on each |
side. The two last were very large, and |
seemed to be made up of hundreds OF |
smaller eyes. Tom tried to count them,
out when he had reached thousand in |
one socket alone, he gave it up. Tom
llso discovered that each ant had bag |
n its hinder part, filled with poison,
which in fighting it could squirt into
he bodies of its enemies. The guide |
old him that one family of ants had |
'tings as well as poison-bags.
Tom had observed on the backs of |
some of the ants when uuswathed, and |
ust above the breathing holes, two pairs
If delicate wings, while the greater num-
'er had none. He learned, ON inquiry,
hat the winged insects were kings and
queens, and those without wings, COM
non workers.
On reminding the guide that the
queen they saw little while ago had no
wings, she said: "You are quite right,
Master Sharp-eyes. But she once had
wings, and I'll tell you how she lost
hem. The wings of the king and
queen are for the wedding trip only.