The Red Ants 



or four yards. But fresh arrivals gather in 

 their numbers before the obstacle ; they form 

 a mighty array, an undecided horde. At last, 

 a few Ants venture Into the swept zone and 

 others follow, while a few have meantime 

 gone ahead and recovered the track by a cir- 

 cuitous route. At the other cuttings, there 

 are the same halts, the same hesitations; ne- 

 vertheless, they are crossed, either In a 

 straight line or by going round. In spite of 

 my snares, the Ants manage to return to the 

 nest; and that by way of the little stones. 



The result of the experiment seems to 

 argue In favour of the sense of smell. Four 

 times over, there are manifest hesitations wher- 

 ever the road is swept. Thougii the return 

 takes place, nevertheless, along the original 

 track, this may be due to the uneven work of 

 the broom, which has left certain particles of 

 the scented dust In position. The Ants who 

 went round the cleared portion may have been 

 guided by the sweepings removed to either 

 side. Before, therefore, pronouncing judg- 

 ment for or against the sense of smell. It were 

 ^well to renew the experiment under better 

 conditions and to remove everything contain- 

 ing a vestige of scent. 

 141 



