And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."
STRANGE STORIES OF ANTS.
I. WHITE ANTS.
BY HENRY DIAMOND.
The white ant is a small insect, the body being of a yellowish
white color, and repulsive in appearance. This tiny earth-dweller
lives almost entirely on wood. When a tree is cut down, white
ants immediately swarm toward the food thus unwittingly provided
for them by man.
You might reside in Africa for many years and never see one of
these ants, for they live underground; but their ravages confront
the explorer at almost every step. You build a house in Uganda.
For a short time you fancy that you have pitched upon the only
spot in the country where there are no white ants. But one day
the doorposts totter, and lintel and rafters come down with a
crash. You look at a section of any one of the wrecked timbers,
and find that the whole inside has been eaten away.
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