INTELLIGENCE IN INSECTS 211 



military tactics displayed in its frequent warlike expeditions 

 against other ants might be expected to rank among the 

 most intelligent of bisects. Polyergus is dependent upon 

 its slaves for food, having almost completely lost the in- 

 stincts for food taking from its long habituation to parasitic 

 habits. There is no physical peculiarity which prevents 

 these ants from getting their own food, and occasionally they 

 take liquid food when by chance the mouth parts are brought 

 in contact with it. As Lubbock, Wasmann and others 

 have shown the Amazons if deprived of their slaves will 

 starve to death in the midst of plenty without making 

 the least effort to secure food of their own accord. As 

 Wasmann observes, " their hunger does not compel them 

 like other animals to seek for food themselves, but only to 

 beg food of other ants by taps of their feelers. The sensitive 

 perception of food placed immediately before them, in spite 

 of their feeling of hunger, does no longer excite hi them the 

 natural impulse of tasting it." We should naturally expect 

 that a creature possessing the rudiments of intelligence would 

 be able to associate the appearance and odor of food with 

 the act of feeding. Possibly the Amazons might, if skillfully 

 managed, be taught to form this association, but that they 

 do not do so under the stress of starvation shows how poor 

 in resources is the emmet mind. 



To the same purport we may cite the following quotation 

 concerning ants from Sir John Lubbock: "In order to test 

 their intelligence, it has always seemed to me that there was 

 no better way than to ascertain some object that they would 

 clearly desire, and then to interpose some obstacle which a 

 little ingenuity would enable them to overcome. Following 

 up, then, the preceding observations, I placed some larvae 

 in a cup which I put on a slip of glass surrounded by water, 

 but accessible to the ants by one pathway hi which was a 



