FIGURE 61. "Ant Fugue", by M. C. Escher (woodcut, 1953).Anteater: -if it isn't too much trouble.
Achilles: -when all of them-
Crab: Not at all. Four cups of tea-
Tortoise: Three!
Achilles: -are going at once.
Crab: -coming right up!
Anteater: That's an interesting thought, Achilles. But it's unlikely that
anyone could draw such a picture in a convincing way.
Achilles: That's too bad.
Tortoise: Perhaps you could answer this, Dr. Anteater. Does a signal, from
its creation until its dissolution, always consist of the same set of ants?
Anteater: As a matter of fact, the individuals in a signal sometimes break
off and get replaced by others of the same caste, if there are a few in
the area. Most often, s.ignals arrive at their disintegration points with
nary an ant in common with their starting lineup.
... Ant Fugue 323