552 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 192 8 



hive? After experimenting with two observation hives of bees, a 

 small hive and a large one, it was decided that the odor from the scent 

 organs serves to indicate where an abundant supply of nectar or 

 pollen may be had, and that the odor impregnating this particular 

 spot also serves as a specific lure to bees from the same hive, but 

 that it is noticed little or not at all by collectors from a different 

 hive. 



Another question to be decided was, Does the round dance excite 

 only nectar collectors and does the tail-wagging dance excite only 

 pollen collectors? If the answer is affirmative in either case, which 

 is the more important factor, the form of the dance or the odor of the 

 food carried? It was concluded that under natural conditions these 

 dances are tAvo characteristics of bee " language," in that only nectar 

 collectors respond to the round dance and only pollen collectors to 

 the tail-wagging dance, but the odor of the food carried proved to 

 be the more important factor involved. 



2. ANTS COMMUNICATE LARGELY BY SMELL 



It has been shown how bees communicate among themselves by 

 smell. This method of communication might be called a smell lan- 

 guage, to distinguish it from other methods which in honeybees are 

 certainly secondary. It will be shown that ants also have a smell 

 language, although less is known about it than about the smell lan- 

 guage of bees. Before discussing the part played by smell, let us 

 first consider the other possible methods of communication between 

 ants. 



(A) BEHAVIOR OF ANTS SUGGESTS MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 



Ever since ancient times observers of ants have been impressed 

 with the idea that these little colonial creatures must have a language, 

 yet even to this day we know but little about this language. The 

 idea that ants must have some definite means of communication is 

 to be found in various passages of ancient writers, even from the 

 days of Solomon down to Aristotle and the early Romans ; yes, even 

 down to the time of the Italian poet Dante. Otherwise, how could 

 the ant be such a wise creature? We recall what Solomon in all 

 his wisdom and glory said about the little ant : 



Go to the ant, tbou sluggard ; consider her ways, and be wise ; which having 

 no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth 

 her food in the harvest. 



Most authorities on ants have little to say about communication, 

 but nevertheless firmly believe that ants have means of conveying 

 information to one another. When we recall that many ants are 

 totally blind we can not consider sight the chief factor in communica- 

 tion; the blind individuals apparently live and prosper just as well 

 as those having highly developed eyes. Some writers imagine that 



