90 



of his unusual position. There was no curiosity manifested but an 

 instinctive impulse pervading all alike to avoid the luckless Pariah. 



Why was he thus avoided^? Possibly because he was a laggard 

 and had left his brethern behind. Let us see. Taking up a second 

 one from the front but allowing it to retain the larva, I dropped 

 it like its predecessor behind the advancing army. On reaching 

 the rearmost file or platoon, it was shunned like a pestilence and 

 left to itself. Probably from the fact tliat it was out of place. Perhaps 

 'le touch of my fingers left an impression, making it offensive to 

 he extremely delicate nerves of its comrades. I thenrepeated these 

 experiments, with the single difference of using a pair of pincers in- 

 stead of my naked fingers, but the result was identically tlie same. 



Removing the unlucky fellow back to his former position, or as 

 near as I could calculate without being mathematically exact, I was 

 astonished to find the same instantaneous and simultaneous avoidance 

 on the part of those who but a short time before had been his file 

 companions. 



In every experiment I removed the subject without disturbing 

 the others and so far as I could see without even attracting their 

 attention. It is hardly possible to suppose that each one had his 

 number and position assigned him before forsaking the old habita- 

 tion. Again, we might conjecture tliat the comrades amongst 

 whom he was suddenly dropped may have been frightened at what 

 they imagined a chance fallen grain of sand in their midst. But 

 I noticed this point with scrupulous care and on bended knees. The 

 little fellow was subjected to a rapid insiDCction by the antennae of 

 each nearest one, so that it could not have been easily mistaken for 

 a grain of sand. It may be, however, that the antennal inspection 

 was too hurried and tlie fright of his comrades still metamor- 

 phosed a friend into an intruder. Supposing, after all, it had been 

 conscious of some dereliction and was hastening back perhaps with 

 deep contrition, the mystery is increased when we consider that 

 its former companions did not possess a spirit of forgiveness. 



These experiments were varied in many ways but with similar 

 results. Some of the ants were chosen from the rear, flanks and 

 middle of the column and every case Avitliout apparently distur- 

 bing the others, either by removal or replacement. 



For three hours I continued these manipulations, at the end 

 of which time the colony left the road and passed out of sight 

 amid the waving grasses beyond. 



