ANTS EMOTIONS. 45 



but every ant which the stranger approached flew at her 

 like a little tigress. I tried this experiment four times ; 

 each stranger was killed and borne off to the nest.' 



Emotions. 



The pugnacity, valour, and rapacity of ants are too 

 well and generally known to require the narration of 

 special instances of their display. With regard to the 

 tenderer emotions, however, there is a difference of opi- 

 nion among observers. Before the researches of Sir John 

 Lubbock it was the prevalent view that these insects dis- 

 play marked signs of affection towards one another, both 

 by caressing movements of their antennae, and by showing 

 solicitude for friends in distress. Sir John, however, has 

 found that the species of ants on which he has experi- 

 mented are apparently deficient both in feelings of 

 affection and of sympathy or, at least, that such feelings 

 are in these species much less strongly developed than 

 the sterner passions. 



He tried burying some specimens of Lasius niger 

 beneath an ant-road ; but none of the ants traversing the 

 road made any attempt to release their imprisoned com- 

 panions. He tried the same experiment with the same 

 result on various other species. Even when the friends in 

 difficulty are actually in sight, it by no means follows 

 that their companions will assist them. Of this, he says, 

 he could give almost any number of instances. Thus, 

 when ants are entangled in honey, their companions 

 devote themselves to the honey, and entirely neglect 

 their friends in distress ; and when partly drowned, their 

 friends take no notice. When chloroformed or intoxicated 

 their own companions either do not heed them, or else 

 ' seem somewhat puzzled at finding their intoxicated 

 fellow-creatures in such a condition, take them up, and 

 carry them about for a time in a somewhat aimless manner.' 

 Further experiments, however, on a larger scale, went to 

 show that chloroformed ants were treated as dead, i.e. 

 removed to the edge of the parade-board and dropped 

 over into the surrounding moat of water ; while intoxicated 



