POWEil OF COMMUNICATION. 37V 



possessing the power of communicating facts to one 

 another, though it might be said they came by scent. 

 Accordingly, on July 13, 1874, at 3 p.m., I took a piece 

 of cork about 8. inches long and 4 inches wide, and stuck 

 into it seventeen pins, on three of which I put pieces 

 of card with a little honey. Up to 5.15 no ant had 

 been up any of these pins. I then put an ant {Lasius 

 niger) to the honey on one of the bits of card. She 

 seemed to enjoy it, and fed for about five minutes, after 

 which she went away. At 5.30 she returned, but went 

 up six pins which had no honey on them. I then put 

 her on to the card. In the mean time twelve other 

 ants went up wrong pins and two up to the honey ; 

 these I imprisoned for the afternoon. At 5.46 my first 

 ant went away. From that time to 6 o'clock seven 

 ants came, but the first did not return. One of the seven 

 went up a wrong pin, but seemed surprised, came down, 

 and immediately went up to the right one. The other 

 six went straight up the right pin to the honey. Up 

 to 7 o'clock twelve more ants went up pins — eight 

 right, and four wrong. At 7 two more went wrong. 

 Then my first ant returned, bringing three friends with 

 her ; and they all went straight to the honey. At 7.11 

 she went home : on her way to the nest she met and 

 accosted two ants, both of which then came straight to 

 the right pin and up it to the honey. Up to 7.20 

 seven more ants came and climbed up pins — six right, 

 and one wrong. At 7.22 my first ant came back with 

 five friends; at 7.30 she went away again, returning at 

 7.45 with no less than twenty companions. During 

 this experiment I imprisoned every ant that found her 

 way up to the honey. Thus, while there were seven- 

 teen pins, and consequently sixteen chances to one, yet 

 between 5.45 and 7.45 twenty-seven ants came, net 

 counting those which were brought by the original ant ; 

 and out of these twenty-seven, nineteen went straight 

 up the right pin. Again, on the ■15th. July, at 2.30, I 



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