Ant parasites—Fleet-footed brigands—Honey-stealing mites—A strange 42 table companion—Privileged cockroaches—Ants and their riders—A fly-ride on beetle-back CHAPTER V From biped to quadruped—Flies that borrow wings—Sit-o’-my-head—A 54 novel cradle—Flies that kill bees—Nature’s sadness—Consolations of the future—The Tachina fly and the locust CHAPTER VI The burden of the locusts—Classical nonsense—Address to 65 Mahomet—Locusts in Europe—Succumb to the English climate—Described by Darwin—Locusts in Africa—The wingless host do greatest damage—Hoppers and jumpers—“An army on the march” CHAPTER VII The sense of direction—How locusts look flying—Follow no 75 leader—Unanimity of movement—Flight by moonlight—Roosting at night—Extirpated in Cyprus—The “Chinese Wall” system—Not adapted to Australia—Deference to aboriginal feeling—Locusts in Australia—Strange ceremony of egg-laying—Inadequate explanation CHAPTER VIII Locusts and _locustidæ_—The most musical grasshoppers—Katydid 85 concerts—A much resembling note—Cricket thermometers—Cicadas and sounding-boards—Admired musicians—An appreciative audience CHAPTER IX A Greek mistake—Nature vindicated—Cicadas provided for—A difficult 98 feat—Perseverance rewarded—Cicadas in story—Dear to Apollo—Men before the Muses—Plato and Socrates—Athenian views—A mausoleum for pets—The Greek ploughman—Apollo’s judgment—Hercules’ bad taste—Modern survivals—A beneficent insect—Elementary education in Tuscany CHAPTER X Cicadas in England—A blower of bubbles—The prolific Aphis—A nice 108 calculation—Scientific curiosity—Dragon-fly armies—The son of the south-west wind CHAPTER XI Aphides and their enemies—Curious interrelations—The biter 119 bit—Altruistic development—Bread and beer protectors—Saved by ladybirds CHAPTER XII Ants and their honey-cows—A mutual benefit—Unity of motive—The end 129 and the means—Two ways of getting honey—Insect cattle—Wasps as cow-milkers—A cow-keeping bee—Ant cow-sheds—Aphides in ants’ nests—Children of light and darkness—Forethought extraordinary CHAPTER XIII Cow caterpillars—The adventures of Theophrastus—Cave-born 144 Ariels—Led to the sky—A strange attraction—Ant slaves and slave-holders—Slave-making raids—Feeble masters—An ant mystery—Effects of slavery—The decadent’s reply CHAPTER XIV