46 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



ants were generally carried into the nest, if they were ants 

 belonging to that community ; if not, they were thrown 

 overboard. This care shown towards intoxicated friends 

 appears to indicate a dim sense of sympathy towards 

 afflicted individuals; but that this emotion or instinct 

 does not in the case of these species extend to healthy 

 individuals in distress seems to be proved, not only by thc^ 

 experiments of burying already described, but also by the 

 following : — , 



On Sept. 2, therefore, I put two ants from one of my nests 

 of F.fusca into a bottle, the end of which was tied up with 

 muslin as described, and laid it down close to the nest. In a 

 second bottle I put two ants from another nest of the same 

 species. The ants which were at liberty took no notice of the 

 bottle containing their imprisoned friends. The strangers in the 

 other bottle, on the contrary, excited them considerably. The 

 whole day one, two, or more ants stood sentry, as it were, over 

 the bottle. In the evening no less than twelve were collected 

 round it, a larger number than usually came out of the nest at 

 any one time. The whole of the next two days, in the same 

 way, there were more or less ants round the bottle containing 

 the strangers; while, as far as we could see, no notice whatever 

 was taken of the friends. On the 9th the ants had eaten 

 through the muslin, and effected an entrance. We did not 

 chance to be on the spot at the moment ; but as I found two 

 ants lying dead, one in the bottle and one just outside, I think 

 there can be no doubt that the strangers were put to death. 

 The friends throughout were quite neglected. 



Sept. 21. — I then repeated the experiment, putting three 

 ants from another nest in a bottle as before. The same scene 

 was repeated. The friends were neglected. On the other 

 hand, some of the ants were always watching over the bottle 

 containing the strangers, and biting at the muslin which pro- 

 tected them. The next morning at 6 a.m. I found five ants 

 thus occupied. One had caught hold of the leg of one of the 

 strangers, which had unwarily been allowed to protrude through 

 the meshes of the muslin. They worked and watched, though 

 not, as far as I could see, with any system, till 7.30 in the 

 evening, when they effected an entrance, and immediately at- 

 tacked the strangers. 



Sept. 24. — I repeated the same experiment with the same 

 nest. Again the ants came and sat over the bottle containing 

 the strangers, while no notice was taken of the friends. 



