14 HAUNTS AND HOBBIES 



climbed on it without a moment's delay, and com- 

 menced at once to devour the jam. They were so 

 many, and they ate so eagerly, that in a very few 

 minutes the jam had all disappeared. I think that we 

 may confidently assume that these ants had been in- 

 formed of the jam and been directed to it by the large 

 ant after he had entered the nest. By what means he 

 had done so it would be endless to conjecture. I think 

 we may also assume that the first ants, those that went 

 to the paper but did not ascend it, were attracted to it 

 by sight merely, for if they had become aware from 

 scent of the jam that lay on its surface, then assuredly 

 they would have climbed the paper, as the other ants 

 did, and devoured it. 



I made, as I have said, many other experiments. It 

 would be tedious to describe them. I found that in 

 most cases the ants discovered the food I placed merely 

 by accident. One or more of them came upon it in the 

 course of their ceaseless wanderings, and then com- 

 niunicated their discovery. 



In several cases, however, they certainly became 

 aware of the presence of the food by sight, and in 

 some few instances they must have been attracted to 

 the food either by scent or else by some sense which 

 we do not possess, for though the food was placed 

 where they could not have seen it, they went to it at 

 once and in a multitude. 



