306 - RELATION OF ANTS 
sists, in the striking with their head the 
corslet of their companions, and in the 
contact of their mandibles; but these 
are the common signs of which they 
make use. ‘The antenne, the organs of 
touch, and, perhaps, of some other sense 
which is unknown to us, are the princi- 
pal instruments connected with the lan- 
guage of ants: their situation in the 
fore-part of the head, their flexibility, 
their construction, which presents a 
series of articulations, endewed with ex- 
treme sensibility ; their close connection 
with instinct, added to the observations I 
made, whilst speaking of the conduct of 
these insects, in reference to the females, 
males, and labourers, induce me to be- 
lieve that the antennee perform the most 
important office among ants. We have 
seen insects frequently use them on the 
field of battle, to intimate approaching 
danger, and to ascertain their own party 
when mingled with the enemy ; they are 
also employed, in the interior of the ant- 
hill, to warn their companions of the 
