1879.] on the Habits of Ants. 185 



cleavonrod so to dcviso my experiments that tlicy might be tested and 

 repeated under other conditions and with other species. Now as 

 regards the one just mentioned, it may bo said, " Oh, but these ants 

 were under very unnatural conditions. In their native haunts they 

 would never find their friends imprisoned in a glass bottle fastened 

 up with muslin." That is of course true ; but then it occurred to me 

 to try the experiment with strangers. 



I put, therefore, two ants from one of my nests of F. fusca into a 

 bottle, the end of which was tied up with muslin as described, and 

 laid it down close to the nest. In a second bottle I put two other ants 

 from another nest of the same species. The ants which were at 

 liberty took no notice of the bottle containing their imprisoned 

 friends. The strangers in the other bottle, on the contrary, excited 

 them considerably. The whole day one, two, or more ants stood 

 sentry, as it were, over the bottle. In the evening no less than 

 twelve were collected round it, a larger number than usually camo 

 out of the nest at any one time. The whole of the next two days, in 

 the same way, there were more or less ants round the bottle containing 

 the strangers, while, as far as we could see, no notice whatever was 

 taken of the friends. On the 9th the ants had eaten through the 

 muslin and effected an entrance, when the strangers were at once 

 attacked, while, on the other hand, the friends throughout were quite 

 neglected. 



It w^ould appear, therefore, that in these curious little creatures 

 hatred is stronger than love. 



These observations seemed to me sufficient to test the behaviour 

 of the ants belonging to this nest under these circimistances. I 

 thought it desirable, however, to try other communities. I selected, 

 therefore, two other nests. One behaved just like the preceding. 

 The other was a community of Polyergus rufescens, with numerous 

 slaves. Close to where the ants of this nest came to feed I placed as 

 before two small bottles, closed in the same way, one containing two 

 slave ants from the nest, the other two strangers. These ants, however, 

 behaved quite unlike the preceding, for they took no notice of either 

 bottle, and showed no sign either of affection or hatred. Is not one 

 tempted to surmise that the warlike spirit of these ants was broken 

 by slavery ? 



In the previous lecture I mentioned that I was never able to 

 satisfy myself that ants heard any sounds which I could produce. I 

 would not, however, by any means infer from this that they are 

 incapable of hearing. 



Micromegas, indeed, the gigantic inhabitant of Sirius, concluded 

 that as he heard no sound, men did not speak ; moreover, Voltaire makes 

 him ask, " How is it possible that such infinitesimal atoms as men 

 should have organs of voice ? and what could they have to say ? To 

 speak," he continued, "it is necessary to think, or nearly so : now to 

 think requires a mind, and to attribute a mind to these little 

 creatures would be absurd." We must be careful not to fall into a 



Vol. IX. (No. 71.) o 



