212 INTELLIGENCE IN INSECTS 



bridge consisting of a strip of paper 2/3 inch long and 1/3 

 inch wide. Having then put a Lasius niger from one of 

 my nests to these larvae, she began carrying them off, and 

 by degrees a number of friends came to help her. I then, 

 when about twenty-five ants were so engaged, moved the 

 little paper bridge slightly, so as to leave a chasm, just so 

 wide that the ants could not reach across. They came and 

 tried hard to do so; but it did not occur to them to push the 

 paper bridge, though the distance was only about 1/3 inch, 

 and they might easily have done so. After trying for about 

 a quarter of an hour, they gave up the attempt and returned 

 home. This I repeated several times. 



"Then, thinking that paper was a substance to which 

 they were not accustomed, I tried the same with a bit of 

 straw 1 inch long and 1/8 inch wide. The result was the 

 same. I repeated this more than once. 



"Again I suspended some honey over a nest of Lasius 

 flavm at a height of about 1/2 inch, and accessible only by 

 a paper bridge more than 10 feet long. Under the glass I 

 then placed a small heap of earth. The ants soon swarmed 

 over the earth on to the glass, and began feeding on the honey. 

 I then removed a little of the earth, so that there was an 

 interval of about 1/3 of an inch between the glass and the 

 earth; but, though the distance was so small, they would not 

 jump down, but preferred to go round by the long bridge. 

 They tried in vain to stretch up from the earth to the glass, 

 which, however, was just out of their reach, though they 

 could touch it with their antennae; but it did not occur to 

 them to heap the earth up a little, though if they had moved 

 only half a dozen particles of earth they would have secured 

 for themselves direct access to the food. This, however, 

 never occurred to them. At length they gave up all attempts 

 to reach up to the glass, and went round by the paper bridge. 



