TOUCH. 347 



denoting the apprehension of danger, is made by 

 the ant striking its head against the corselet of 

 every ant which it chances to meet. Each ant, on 

 receiving this intimation, immediately sets about 

 repeating the same signal to the next ant which 

 comes in its way ; and the alarm is thus dissemi- 

 nated with astonishing rapidity throughout the 

 whole society. Sentinels are at all times stationed 

 on the outside of the nests, for the purpose of ap- 

 prizing the inhabitants of any danger that may be 

 at hand. On the attack of an enemy, these guar- 

 dians quickly enter into the nest, and spread the 

 intelligence on every side ; the whole swarm is 

 soon in motion, and while the greater number of 

 ants rush forwards with desperate fury to repel the 

 attack, others who are entrusted with the office of 

 guarding the eggs and the larvae, hasten to remove 

 their charge to places of greater security. 



When the queen bee is forcibly taken away from 

 the hive, the bees which are near her at the time, 

 do not soon appear sensible of her absence, and the 

 labours of the hive are carried on as usual. It is 

 seldom before the lapse of an hour, that the working 

 bees begin to manifest any symptoms of uneasiness: 

 they are then observed to quit thelarvffi which they 

 had been feeding, and to run about in great agita- 

 tion, to and fro, near the cell which the queen had 

 occupied before her abduction. They then move 

 over a wider circle, and on meeting with such of 

 their companions as are not aware of the disaster, 

 communicate the intelligence by crossing their an- 

 tennae and striking lightly with them. The bees 

 which receive the news become in their turn agi- 

 tated, and conveying this feeling wherever they go, 



