94 MENTAL EVOLUTION .N MAN. 



to ascend until reaching the lower bevelled edge of the shelf, 

 at which point the more timid individuals, although unable 

 to see the vase, somehow became aware of the trouble, and 

 turned without further investigation ; while the more daring 

 advanced hesitatingly just to the upper edge of the shelf, 

 when, extending their antennae and stretching their necks, 

 they seemed to peep cautiously over the edge until they beheld 

 their suffering companions, when they too turned and followed 

 the others, expressing by their behaviour great excitement 

 and terror. An hour or two later the path or trail leading 

 from the lower colony to the vase was entirely free from ants. 

 ... A curious and invariable feature of their behaviour was 

 that when an ant, returning in fright, met another approach- 

 ing, the two would always communicate ; but each would 

 pursue its own way, the second ant continuing its journey to 

 the spot where the first ant had turned about, and then 

 following that example. For some days after this there were 

 no ants visible on the wall, either above or below the shelf 

 Then a few ants from the lower colony began to reappear ; but 

 instead of visiting the vase, which had been the scene of the 

 disaster, they avoided it altogether, and, following the lower 

 front edge of the shelf to the tumbler standing near the middle, 

 made their attack upon that with precisely the same result." 



Lastly, Sir John Lubbock made some experiments with 

 the express purpose of testing the power of communication 

 by ants. He found that if an ant discovered a deposit of 

 larvae outside the nest, she would return to the nest, and, 

 even though she might have no larvae to show, was able to 

 communicate her need of assistance — a number of friends 

 proceeding to follow her as a guide to the heap of larvae 

 which she had found. 



In one very instructive experiment Sir John arranged 

 three parallel pieces of tape, each about two and a half feet 

 long : one end of each piece of tape was attached to the nest, 

 and the other dipped into a glass vessel. In the glass at the 

 end of one of the tapes he placed a considerable number of 

 larvae (300 to 600) : in the glass at the end of another of the 



