industrious, civilized.

"Well, there are plenty of their descendants living all about us to-day,
and I want you to become better acquainted with them, for they are very
wise and cunning in their ways. Whenever you cross a meadow, or even
when you are walking on the public road, unless you take heed to your
steps, the chances are that you set your foot more than once on a little
heap of loose sand that we call an ant-hill. The next time you discover
the accident--I am sure you will not do it on purpose--wait a few
moments and see what will happen. What you have done is to block up the
main entrance to an underground city, sending a quantity of loose earth
down the avenue, which the inhabitants must at great labor remove.

"Let us hope none of the little people were at that instant either
leaving or entering the city by that gate, for if so, they were either
killed outright or badly hurt. Soon you will see one and another citizen
pushing his way through the _débris_, running wildly and excitedly
about, as though greatly frightened and distressed at the state of
things. Then more carefully surveying the ruins, apparently consulting
together as to what is best to be done, until, a plan of action having
been devised and settled upon, if you wait long enough, you will see a
band of workers in an orderly, systematic manner begin to repair the
damage. All this happens every time you tread on an ant-hill. If a
passing animal breaks down the embankment,--a horse or a cow,--of course
the injury done is much greater. In such a case every worker in the city
is put to hard labor till the streets are cleared, the houses rebuilt,
and all traces of the disaster removed.

"I am sure you will be interested to know what goes on from morning till
night in one of these ant-cities, and I have written out on purpose to