PSYCHOLOGY. 49 



side of the head of the ant they are begging from with the front 

 feet, also rapidly tapping them with the antennae. 



When one ant wishes another to come to a certain locality, it 

 frequently carries it to the desired spot ; it is evident that the 

 other understands what is wanted, as it rolls up and allows itself 

 to be carried. 



All authors since and including Huber agree, that ants com- 

 municate with each other, in great part, by antennal strokes 

 (antennae language). Anyone has only to study the behaviour of 

 ants for himself, to be convinced of this. 



Wasmann has enumerated a number of different antennal 

 strokes, conveying different ideas. These depend chiefly on the 

 nature of the stroke, whether quick or slow, heavy or light, at 

 longer or shorter intervals, on the top, or side of the head, or only 

 on the antennae, etc. 



Should an ant find something which it desires to carry home to 

 its nest, but which it is unable to move on account of its weight, 

 or for any other reason, it leaves the find, goes to its nest for assist- 

 ance, and returns with some of its companions. It is of course 

 clear that the finder has conveyed to the others intelligence that 

 something has been found, and that their help is wanted ; more- 

 over, although it may be said to be a reflex action when an ant 

 finds food that it should carry it home, this can hardly be said 

 when the ant returns home unladen, to seek for help. 



Ants find their way. 



As with nearly every point concerning ants, or their behaviour, 

 it is impossible to generalize as to how they find their way. Bethe 

 fell into this error ; he stated ants went to and from their nests 

 in a purely reflex manner, and for his experiments he selected 

 certain species which always follow a trail. He invented a " polari- 

 zation " theory, and concluded all ants only found their way by 

 odour-contact. 



It is true that many ants, such as Donisthorpea species, are chiefly 

 guided in this matter by the sense of smell ; but others, such as 

 Formica species, are more indebted to that of sight. The latter 

 sense is obviously of no use to blind ants, which however find their 

 way quite as well as do those which possess eyes. 



Many species when returning home to the nest, always follow 

 the same path by which they left it ; others make for home in a 

 direct line, no matter how much they may have wandered about 

 on the journey out. 



If an obstacle be placed on a track of Donisthorpea fuliginosa, these 

 ants hesitate for a time, all those arriving at this spot clustering 

 together, until one or more crosses it, and the file resumes its 

 march. Should the same experiment be tried with Formica rufa, 



