ANT LIFE. 161 



concerted mode of action employed in such cases, it is 

 evident that some mode of speech must be used for the 

 conveyance of ideas. But what the language may be is 

 not easy even to conjecture. 



When two ants meet, they usually touch each other's 

 antennae, and evidently communicate ideas to each other. 

 This practice, however, does not account for the perfect 

 military discipline which prevails in the community, and 

 the mode in which the leaders convey their ideas to large 

 bodies of subordinates. 



Touching antenna? would be a very slow process, and 

 there is evidently some analogue of our bugle call, which 

 all can understand and obey simultaneously. What it is 

 we do not know. It may be possible that it consists of 

 sounds too acute to be detected by human ears. And 

 yet, although the microphone makes the step of the ant's 

 feet as audible as the tread of a horse, nothing approach- 

 ing to a vocal sound has as yet been detected. 



For two purposes this power of communication is 

 necessary i.e. for war or foraging, or perhaps both, as 

 we shall soon see. 



