THE EVOLUTION OF ANTS 

 By William Morton Wheeler 



Professor of Entomology and Dean of the Bussey Institution for 

 Research in Applied Biology, Harvard University 



The term "evolution" is used by biologists to cover one of 

 the aspects of "development," which in turn merges into the 

 universal phenomenon of "change." Most people regard 

 change as a matter of course, merely noting its occurrence 

 and its various forms and adapting themselves to it, whether 

 it occurs in their own lives, in the lives of other human 

 beings, or in the lives of animals and plants, but to reflective 

 observers, during the past three thousand years, change has 

 always seemed so extraordinary as to constitute the basis of 

 philosophy or the occasion for philosophical speculation. 

 Since the wonderful complexity and diversification of the 

 world is due to change, and since to us the outstanding fea- 

 tures in this diversification are human beings and other 

 organisms, it is easy to see why the origin and meaning of 

 change should have been sought and discussed so ardently, 

 and for so many centuries. 



There are three groups of facts with which even the most 

 casual observer of the constantly changing organic world is 

 familiar. First, he knows of the development of animals 

 from eggs and of plants from seeds. Second, he sees the 

 possibility and the usefulness of making a rough classification 

 of animals and plants, and he notes that among the various 

 kinds of animals and plants there are in nature certain forms 



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