SIR JOHN LUBBOCK. 43 



of ants was soon established. He concluded from 

 numerous experiments that when large numbers of 

 ants came to food they followed one another, 

 being also, to a certain extent, guided by scent. 

 The fact therefore did not imply any considerable 

 power of intercommunication. On the other hand 

 they certainly could, he thought, transmit simple 

 ideas. Experiments, moreover, seemed to indicate the 

 possession by ants of something approaching to 

 language. It was generally stated in entomological 

 works that the males of ants died almost 

 immediately. No doubt this was generally the case. 

 It had also been the general opinion that the females 

 lived about a year. He had found, however, that the 

 life of the queens and workers was much longer than 

 had been supposed. He had now two queens which 

 had lived since 1874. They must therefore be at least 

 nine years old. He had also kept workers alive more 

 than seven years. In industry ants were not surpassed 

 even by bees and wasps. They worked all day, and in 

 warm weather, if need be, even at night too. As a 

 general rule each species lived by itself. There were, 

 however, interesting exceptions. Most ants, indeed 

 woidd carry off the larvae and pupa3 of others if 

 they got a chance, and this explained, or at any 

 rate threw light upon, that most remarkable pheno- 

 menon, the existence of slavery among ants. The 

 food of ants consisted of insects, great numbers of 

 which they destroyed, of honey, honey-dew, and 

 fruit — indeed, scarcely any animal or sweet substance 

 came amiss to them. Our English ants did net 



