i- ANTS. 



.sociologist. It will suffice to mention the unrivalled material which 

 they present for the study of variation and geographical distribution, 

 both from the taxonomic and experimental standpoints, the extraor- 

 dinary phenomena of polymorphism, parthenogenesis and sex-determi- 

 nation ; the wonderful cases of parasitism and symbiosis, and last, but 

 not least, the great importance of these insects in the problems of 

 instinct and intelligence. The researches of Janet and others have 

 shown what a wonderful field of anatomical study they present, and 

 the embryonic and post-embryonic development have scarcely been 

 studied. Add to all this the great facility with which they may be 

 obtained in all localities and, owing to their remarkable adaptability, 

 the ease with which they can be kept for long periods in artificial nests, 

 and it becomes a matter of surprise that they have attracted so few 

 students. To what extent this neglect on the part of entomologists 

 and other biologists may be due to the absence in ants of a powerful 

 appeal to the aesthetic sense, so readily aroused by birds, beetles and 

 butterflies, would be an interesting matter for discussion. If this is, 

 indeed, responsible for the very general neglect of the ants, their lack 

 of aesthetic qualities may perhaps be regarded as a further advantage, 

 since it must tend to discourage those who approach the subject merely 

 as collectors of pretty things, while it does not necessarily repel the 

 more serious and philosophical student. 



