INSTINCTS OF HARVESTING ANTS 35 



important object of shielding their stores and offspring 

 from attack. It is clear that the harvesters in their 

 struggle with the enemy rely solely on defensive 

 action. 



That ants possess tender emotions is a matter of 

 much doubt. I feel it difficult to credit them with any 

 real feelings of kindness or affection. But on certain 

 occasions they do behave as if they showed a sense 

 of sympathy towards their fellows. I flooded a nest 

 of Messor barbarus by pouring about a pint of water 

 down the entrance. The workers outside immediately 

 ceased their harvesting duties and commenced to force 

 their way into the flooded nest. It was almost pathetic 

 to observe the careful manner in which they carried 

 out their half-drowned companions. One could scarcely 

 resist the idea that some feeling akin to compassion or 

 sympathy must have influenced the ants when each 

 was seen carrying an insensible companion from the 

 inundated home and laying it carefully in the sun 

 outside the nest, where it rapidly recovered and took 

 a place itself amongst the rescuers. It is difficult not to 

 explain the behaviour of these insects except in terms 

 of human feeling, but in this we should be very 

 cautious or we may greatly err. 



The ants are economical in the use of material and 

 are provident in seeing that little goes waste. Even 

 the ejected husks and chaff are sometimes of further 

 use, as the ants will stuff them into the mouth of the 

 nest and thus block the opening when danger threatens. 

 They are very careful that none of the collected grain 

 is lost. Sometimes, when the nest is situated on the 

 face of a vertical bank, the harvesters have considerable 

 difficulty in dragging their loads through the aperture, 



