12 Chapter I. 



bers and the consequent greater independence of 

 instincts in the single worker, an ant colony bears the 

 stamp rather of democratic, republican, even socialistic 

 institutions. Viewed from the standpoint of compara- 

 tive psychology, the community life of ants is more 

 perfect than that of bees, on account of the greater 

 psychic independence of each individual. It is this 

 quality of individual independence that lends to ant- 

 states, among all associations of animals, the greatest 

 resemblance to the political societies of man based on 

 individual intelligence and free will. This resemblance 

 is of course never more than mere analogy; but it is the 

 highest degree of analogy known to exist between the 

 social institutions of man and of the brute. Nor is the 

 term "state" applicable to the social organizations of 

 ants or, in fact, to any animal community, in any other 

 than a metaphorical 1 meaning; yet it applies more 

 perfectly to ant states than to any other family of 

 insects, and to insect states rather than to those of any 

 other animals. 



Another important reason, why with ant colonies 

 the use of the term "state" is comparatively more 

 appropriate than with the social organizations of other 

 animals is, because colonies of ants are often not 

 merely "enlarged families," but contain also members 

 of entirely different species which are hospitably shel- 

 tered in the colony. Thus a simple ant colony comes 

 to be a compound animal society. The above-men- 

 tioned strangers are partly ants belonging to other 



*) On this point vide A. Espinas, "Des societes animates" (2e ed.) 

 p. 372. Also Karl E. v. Baer (in Stoelzle, "K. E. v. Baer und seine 

 Weltanschauung" [1896], p. 300); W. Wundt, "Vorlesungen ueber die 

 Menschen- und Tierseele," 2d ed., p. 451. 



