86 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



themselves a brief combing, and then resume their nap, unless, 

 indeed, they are satisfied. In watching these movements it was 

 quite evident that the Florida soldiers were far less easily dis- 

 turbed than their smaller fellows. They slept on stolidly while 

 all the others were in agitation around them. Moreover, their 

 very appearance, particularly when awaking out of sleep, indi- 

 cated the greater sluggishness of their temperament in this 

 respect. 



The ordinary duration of sleep MacCook takes to be 

 about three hours. 



Ants, like many other insects, are in the habit of 

 cleaning themselves, being, like them, provided by nature 

 with combs and brushes, &c., for the purpose. But, unlike 

 other insects, several species of ants are also in the habit 

 of assisting each other in the performance of their toilet. 

 The author last quoted gives the following account of this 

 process in the genus Atta : — 



We take a couple ; the cleanser has begun at the face, which ' 

 is Hcked thoroughly, even the mandibles being cared for, they 

 being held apart for convenient manipulation. From the face 

 the cleanser passes to the thorax, thence to the haunch, and so 

 along the first leg, along the second and third in the same 

 manner, around to the abdomen, and thence up the other side of 

 the ant to the head. A third ant approaches and joins in the 

 friendly task, but soon abandons the field to the original 

 cleanser. The attitude of the cleansed all this while is one of 

 intense satisfaction, quite resembling that of a family dog when 

 one is scratching the back o( his neck. The insect stretches 

 out her limbs, and, as her friend takes them successively into 

 hand, yields them limp and supple to her manipulation ; she 

 rolls gently over upon her side, even quite over upon her back, 

 and with all her limbs relaxed presents a perfect picture of mus- 

 cular surrender and ease. The pleasure which the creatures 

 take in being thus ' combed ' and ' sponged ' is really enjoyable 

 to the observer. I have seen an ant kneel down before another 

 and thrust forward the head, drooping, quite under the face, 

 and lie there motionless, thus expressing, as plainly as sign- 

 language could, her desire to be cleansed. I at once under- 

 stood the gesture, and so did the supplicated ant, for she at 

 once went to work. If analogies in nature-studies were not so 

 apt to be misleading, one might venture to suggest that our 



