239 
Antenna; of Insects, 
case. And although it is usual for two queens, who are present 
in the same hive, to fight till one be destroyed, the mutilated 
queens exhibited no animosity towards each other, neither did 
the inhabitants of the hive appear to distinguish which was their 
original female. It would thus appear that, after excision of both 
antennae, all marks of distinction were lost. 
At another time, Huber divided a swarm into two portions, 
leaving the queen in one and separating these by a double grated 
partition, which allowed what was going on among the one to be 
seen by the other, but prevented the two parties from communi- 
cating by means of the antennae or legs. This was for the pur- 
pose of seeing what was the mode of intercourse, and also, what 
effect was produced upon those who were deprived of their queen. 
They were soon in great agitation, running violently about, strik- 
ing each other with the antennae, and entirely neglecting the 
business of the hive, until at length they began to construct royal 
cells and became quiet. Those that had the queen with them 
remained undisturbed and pursued their usual avocations. One 
portion of the double grating was then removed, so as to prevent 
the two parties from mixing, but allowing them to communicate 
with each other by passing the antennae through the wires. Im- 
mediately the bees were seen to collect upon the grating, pass 
through their antennae, and touch with them those of the others. 
The queen herself came to it, and acted in the same manner. The 
clamour began to subside immediately, each bee touching with its 
antennae those of its neighbour, and in a short time the business 
of the hive was restored. It was thus proved that bees commu- 
nicate with each other by means of the sense of touch, anti that 
this resides in the antennae. 
The case is the same with ants, as was abundantly proved by 
the same author. By means of touching with the antennae, ants 
originally bred in the same nest are enabled to recognise each 
other, although they may have been entirely separated many weeks, 
or even for three or four months.'*' When about to form a new 
colony, they caress, and appear to communicate with each other 
by touching with the antennae,')' and it is by means of these organs 
they are enabled to induce the Apludes and Cocci to give out their 
sweet juice, or, as it is commonly called, honey-dew, which the 
ants are exceedingly fond of. Their mode of proceeding, which 
I have had the pleasure of witnessing, and which is well known to 
entomologists, is to pat the Aphis rather briskly on each side of 
Kirby and Spence, vol. ii. 1st Ed. p. 66. 
t Id. vol. ii. p. 92. 
