52 Ants. 



ahead, going straight to the fly. The others fol- 

 lowed slowly and with many meanderings ; so 

 slowly, indeed, that for 20 minutes the first ant 

 was alone at the fly, trying in every way to move 

 it. Finding this still impossible, she again returned 

 to the nest, not chancing to meet any of her friends 

 by the way. Again she emerged in less than a 

 minute with eight friends, and hurried on to the fly. 

 They were even less energetic than the first party ; 

 and when they found they had lost sight of their 

 guide, they one and all returned to the nest. In 

 the meantime several of the first detachment had 

 found the fly, and one of them succeeded in de- 

 taching a leg, with which she returned in triumph 

 to the nest, coming out again directly with four or 

 five companions. These latter, with one exception, 

 soon gave up the chase and returned to the nest. 

 I do not think so much of this last case, because 

 as the ant carried in a substantial piece of booty in 

 the shape of the fly's leg, it is not surprising that 

 some of her friends should have accompanied her 

 on her return ; but surely the other two cases 

 indicate a distinct power of communication, 



6. Lest, however, it should be supposed that the 

 result was accidental, I determined to try it again. 

 Accordingly on the following day I put another 

 large dead fly before an ant belonging to the same 

 nest, pinning it to a piece of cork as before. After 

 trying in vain for ten minutes to move the fly, my 

 ant started off home. At that time I could only 



