Community Life in the Animal Kingdom. 17 



of the same colony have the same delicate "nest 

 odor," and by licking strangers they are able to trans- 

 fer it to other insects. A beetle of the genus Atemeles 

 having been licked in a friendly manner by but one 

 ant of a Formica colony, will be acknowledged as a 

 friend by the other ants of the same colony, whilst 

 otherwise they would attack it. 1 The "nest odor" can 

 be communicated to members of other colonies not 

 only by licking but also by feeding. The smell of the 

 salivary gland secretions* thus seems to serve ants as 

 well as bees as a means of recognizing the "citizens 

 of the same state." 



It is, no doubt, downright nonsense for Buechner 3 

 to put ant states on the same level with human 

 republics, much more so to consider them more perfect 

 than the latter. And when modern sociologists 4 try 

 to establish their reforms of human society on such 

 foundations, we are justified in styling their endeavors 

 Utopian schemes. The promoters of such ideas for- 



1 ) More on the significance of the salivary gland secretions as a 

 means of recognition among ants will be found in the essay mentioned 

 above "Die psych. Faehigkeiten der Ameisen," p. 16 and 97 ff. On the 

 latter pages we have also shown that it is not merely the smell of the 

 salivary gland secretions adhering to a beetle, that induces the ants to 

 receive it after it has been licked by a single ant of that colony, but 

 that, besides, other psychic elements are in play and must be considered 

 in explaining the fact. See also "Instinct and Intelligence in the 

 Animal Kingdom," p. 158. 



2 ) See the interesting little essay by N. Ludwig, "Futtersaft oder 

 thierische Veranlagung als der Beherrscher und Ordner geheimniss- 

 voller Vorgaenge im Bienenvolke," published by the "Leipziger Bienen- 

 zeitung," 1896. Likewise N. Ludwig, "Ueber Geruchempfindung und 

 Riechorgan der Honigbiene" ("Natur und Offenbarung," 1899, 9th 

 issue, p. 554 ff.). 



s ) "Geistesleben der Tiere," p. 52. 



*) See e. g. Cognetto de Martiis, "Le forme primitive nella 

 evoluzione economica." Torino, 1881. 



2 



