ANTS — COMMUNICATION. 51 



47^ hours the ants which had access to a glass containing 

 numerous larvae brought 257 friends to their assistance ; 

 while during an interval 5^ hours longer those which 

 visited the glass with only two or three larvae brought only 

 82 friends ; and, as already mentioned, no single ant came 

 to the glass which contained no larvae. Now, as all the 

 glasses were exposed to similar conditions, and as the 

 roads to the first two must, in the first instance at all 

 events, have been equally scented by the passage of ants 

 over them, these results look very conclusive as proving 

 some power of definite communication, not only that 

 larvae are to be found, but even where the largest store is 

 to be met with. 



To this interesting account Sir John Lubbock adds, — 



One case of apparent communication struck me very much. 

 I had had an ant [F. niger) under observation one day, during 

 which she was occupied in carrying off larvse to her nest. At 

 night I imprisoned her in a small bottle ; in the morning I let 

 her out at 6.15, when she immediately resumed her occupation. 

 Having to go to London, I imprisoned her again at 9 o'clock. 

 When I returned at 4.40 I put ner again to the larvae. She 

 examined them carefully, and went home without taking one. 

 At this time no other ants were out of the nest. In less than 

 a minute she came out again with eight friends, and the little 

 heap made straight for the heap of larvae. When they had gone 

 two-thirds of the way I again imprisoned the marked ant; 

 the others hesitated a few minutes, and then with curious quick- 

 ness returned home. At 5.15 I put her again to the larvae. 

 She again went home without a larva, but after only a few 

 seconds' stay in the nest, came out with no less than thirteen 

 friends. They all went towards the larvae, but when they had 

 got about two-thirds of the way, although the marked ant had 

 on the previous day passed over the ground about 150 times, 

 and though she had just gone straight from the larvae to the 

 nest, she seemed to have forgotten her way, and considered ; 

 and after she had wandered about for half an hour, I put her to 

 the larvae. Now, in this case, the twenty-one ants must have 

 been brought out by my marked one, for they came exactly 

 with her, and there were no other ants out. Moreover, it would 

 seem that they must have been told, because (which is very 

 curious in itself) she did not in either case bring a larva, and 



K 2 



