ANTS— COMMUNICATION. 49 



insects. That insects with such highly organised social 

 habits, and depending so greatly on the principles of co- 

 operation, should manifest emotions or instincts of an inci- 

 piently altruistic character, is no more than we should 

 antecedently expect on the general principle of survival 

 of the fittest. Our only surprise should be that these 

 emotions, or instincts, should appear to be so feebly de- 

 veloped in some species of ants, and, as we shall subse- 

 quently see, also of bees. But it may be worth whUe in 

 this connection to point out that the valuable observation 

 of Mr. Belt above quoted refers to the species of ant which, 

 as we shall subsequently find, presents the most highly 

 organised instincts of co-operation that are to be met with 

 among ants, and therefore the greatest dependence of the 

 welfare of the individual on that of the community. And 

 the same remark is applicable to our native species, F. san- 

 guinea, which the Kev. W. W. F. White has repeatedly 

 seen rescuing buried companions very much in the manner 

 •described by Mr. Belt ; and he does not appear to be ac- 

 quainted with Mr. Belt's observations. He figures one 

 case in which he saw three ants co-operating to dig out 

 a buried comirade. 



Powers of Communication, 



Huber, Kirby and Spence, Dugardin, Burmeister, 

 Franklin, and other observers have all expressed them- 

 selves as more or less strongly of the opinion that members 

 of the same community of ants, and other social Hymen- 

 optera, are able to communicate information to one 

 another by some system of language or signs. The facts, 

 however, on which their opinion rests have not been stated 

 with that degree of caution and detail which the accept- 

 ance of the conclusion requires. Thus, Kirby and Spence 

 give only one instance of supposed communication between 

 ants,^ and even this one is inconclusive, as the facts de- 

 scribed admit of being explained by supposing that the 

 ants simply tracked one another by scent ; while Huber 



> See Leisv/re Rout, 1880, p. 390. 

 ' Introduction to Entomology, vol. ii. p. 524. 

 E 



