LIFE HISTORY OF CARPENTER ANT. 215 



the bridge to C was removed. After about one hour a small 

 worker discovered the tube and cautiously followed it to A, and 

 then passed over the bridge to B, where she discovered the lar- 

 vae. After examining them carefully she started to find her way 

 back to the nest. After passing through the feeding-room and 

 into the vestibule she entered the tube with the horizontal loop 

 and went as far as the loop and then turned about to the vesti- 

 bule and thence went through the arched tube and to the nest. 

 In the nest she saluted four of her friends in the manner described 

 in experiment IV., and returned to the larvae followed closely by 

 the four friends saluted and no others. In going to the larvae 

 she passed through the arched tube by which she had returned 

 to the nest, but instead of following the diagonal path by which 

 she had previously crossed the feeding-room, she followed around 

 the sides of this room until she came to the entrance to the tube 

 leading to island A. Each of the five ants on arriving at B 

 picked up a cluster of larvae, carried them to the place where the 

 tube leading from A passed under the toweling of the feeding- 

 room, dropped them there as in a place of temporary safety, and 

 returned for more. While the ants were in the tube with the 

 third load, I moved the bridge from B to C and placed a new 

 bridge leading to B. The first and second ant to come back to 

 A passed over the new bridge to B, but the other three, after 

 turning around once or twice on A, passed down the old bridge 

 to C, retracing their steps, however, a few times before finally 

 reaching it. They then returned to A and finally found the 

 larvae again. I now allowed them to pass over this bridge to B 

 about eight times and then again moved this bridge to C, taking 

 away the one there already, and placing a new bridge from A to 

 B. This time all five of the ants passed directly over the new 

 bridge to B, and I could not see that any of them detected the 

 change. After all the larvae had been removed from the island 

 to the tube, three of the five ants began carrying them to the 

 nest while the other two returned to the nest empty-handed for 

 help, and my observations ended in the confusion that soon 

 followed. ♦ 



This experiment was repeated a number of times ; and while 

 there were a few variations in results, those recorded in detail 



