s or act as
sentinels around the ant-hill. But the head of the worker is rather
small. It's a clever head, though, sir. On it are two antennae,
bent, sir, like sharp little elbows. You told us that ants talk with
their antennae. These feelers are very sensitive. I watched two ants
one day and saw them rubbing them together."

"I am sure," said Ben Gile, "that some very exciting and interesting
conversations are carried on by these fellows."

"Back of the head," continued Jack, "is the thorax, with the six legs,
then a very narrow piece joining the thorax and abdomen."

"I know of one ant," added the guide, "who is nothing more or less than
a honey-jar. This honey-ant hangs by its legs from the roof of its home.
The little workers go out and visit the oak-trees and hunt around for
balls called oak galls. From these they get honey, which they carry home
and feed to the little fellows hanging on the ceiling by their heels.
The honey is stored away in their crops. All day these honey-jar ants
are fed, until the abdomens are as big as a currant, and the sweet,
yellow honey shines through the skin. When any of the family gets hungry
it crawls up to one of these fat little fellows and takes a refreshing
sip."

"I know of another ant," began Jack, who could scarcely wait to begin,
"who lives in the home of a larger ant. This one builds small tunnels
connected with the large ones of the big ant, but is careful to make the
doorways so small that the big ones cannot creep in and eat up the
babies. When Little Ant gets hungry it crawls up on Big Ant's back. Very
gently it strokes its head, then licks its cheek until the mouth of Big
Ant fairly waters. This is just what Little Ant intends the mouth shall
do. It laps up the drop of sweetness, crawls down, climbs on the back of
another big ant, and has a second luncheon. Sometimes little thief ants
live in other ants' houses, stealing the food which the workers have
been so busy collecting all the long day."

By this time the children were listening in open-eyed astonishment to
Jack, who had absorbed so much of the spirit and the information of the
old guide that he could talk almost as interestingly.

"Mother aphids," interrupted Ben Gile, "who like corn very well, lay
their eggs at the roots of the corn. But if the babies hatch out before
the corn roots are ready there is a family of ants who come to the
rescue. They carry these babies over to some other roots, where they may