ON THE HABITS OF ANTS. 39 



since its weight has been increased twenty-seven times by the sun's 

 attraction. 



We have hitherto considered the mutual attraction of two bodies, 

 but now let a third be introduced, as, for instance, in the case of A 

 and F, let G be placed at equal distances from A and F, and let the 

 relative masses of A and F be as stated before in this paper : then will 

 the force which measures the mutual attraction of F and G be equal 

 to four times the force which measures the mutual attraction of G 

 and A, or, in other words, F will attract G with four times the force 

 that A will attract G. Lastly, let G's mass equal A's mass, and let 

 G be placed at double the distance from F that A has been placed : 

 then, according to the second law of gravitation, the units of force 

 which measure the m^utual attraction of A and F will be four times 

 the force which measures the mutual attraction of G and F. 







ON THE HABITS OF ANTS. 



By SIK JOHN LUBBOCK, Bart. 



THE anthropoid apes no doubt approach nearer to man in bodily 

 structure than do any other animals ; but when we consider the 

 habits of ants, their social organization, their large communities, 

 elaborate habitations, their roadways, their possession of domestic 

 animals, and even in some cases of slaves, it must be admitted that 

 they have a fair claim to rank next to man in the scale of intelli- 

 gence. They present, moreover, not only a most interesting but also 

 a very extensive field of study. In this country we have nearly 

 thirty species ; but ants become more numerous, in species as well 

 as individuals, in warmer countries, and more than seven hundred 

 kinds are known. Even this large number certainly is far short 

 of those actually in existence. 



I have kejDt in captivity nearly half of our British species of ants, 

 and at the present moment have in my room more than thirty nests, 

 belonging to about twenty species, some of which, however, are not 

 English. No two species are identical in habits, and on various 

 accoTints their mode of life is far from easy to unravel. In the first 

 place most of their time is passed underground ; all the education of 

 the young, for instance, is carried on in the dark. Again, ants are 

 essentially gregarious ; it is in some cases difficult to keep a few alive 

 by themselves in captivity, and at any rate their habits under such 

 circumstances are entirely altered. If, on the other hand, a whole 

 community is kept, then the greater number introduces a fresh element 

 of difficulty and complexity. Moreover, within the same species, the 

 individuals seem to differ in character, and even the same individual 



