September 8, 1893.] 



SCIENCE. 



133 



■ the ant would continue the pursuit. Between the water's 

 edge and the dry sand of the upper beach was a strip of 

 wet sand some fifty feet wide and gently sloping. Over 

 this area the ant followed me with strange persistence, 

 both with and against the strong southwest wind then 

 blowing. Not only would she follow me up on succes- 

 sively drier and firmer sand to the edge of dry sand, but 

 back again to the water's edge, so that once she was over- 

 taken by the swash of a small surf. The ant followed 

 readily at a distance of three feet without regard to the 

 direction of the wind, but, at a distance of six or more 

 feet, entirely lost the trail. This circumstance, with the 

 additional one that when I walked in a circle she would 

 leave my footsteps and take a direct path towards me, 

 shows that she was guided by sight rather than by the 

 sense of smell. 



When allowed to come up to me, the ant crawled under 

 the shadow of my shoe and rested on the sand, and once 

 crawled over the uppers, but returned to the space for- 

 ward of the heel. When led to the dry sand she would 

 cease to follow, and would begin to care for her chitin. 

 In the course of the few minutes I gave to watching her, 

 the ant followed me upwards of two hundred feet on the 

 wet sand of the beach. 



The difference in the behavior of this ant on the wet 

 and dry sand seems to afford a clue to its mental proc- 

 esses. It seems to me probable that the ant had a sense 

 of peril in its jDosition on the wet sand, which was liable 

 to be overrun by the sea, and that she turned toward me 

 as she would have to a tree, or other high object, as a 

 means of escape. 



A more striking instance of intelligence in the same 

 species of ants fell under my observation upon the island 

 of Martha's Vineyard. These ants here, as elsewhere, 

 build hills from one to three or more feet in height. The 

 singular activity of the creatures, when disturbed, often 

 led me to offer slight provocations to the occupants of 

 one of these hills. On the occasion which I am about to 

 describe, a number of workers were running back and 

 forth over the summit of a hill, when I spat on it. At 

 once the ants nearest the objectionable meteorite rushed 

 towards it, and with their antennae made an examination. 

 These workers then ran a little distance away, picked up 

 each a large grain of sand coated with a yellowish clayey 

 film, and carrying it to the edge of the liquid, threw the 

 pellet hastily in. This ftrocess, engaged in by at least a 

 dozen ants, soon resulted in filling up the little j)ool. As 

 these clayey pellets were thrown into the liquid they 

 changed color through the absorption of the water by 

 the clay. The absorption of the spittle by the pellets 

 was evidently not yet complete, when all but one of the 

 ants went about their customary walks. This solitary 

 sentinel placed a pellet on the little heap and watched it 

 soak up water, the pellet changing, as it did so, its yellow- 

 ish color for a slaty hue. Another pellet was brought up 

 and piled on as the others had been, but the process of 

 absorption was now complete, and this last grain did not 

 change color. The ant stood off at a distance of about 

 half an inch from the grain he had deiJosited, intently 

 watching the effect of his labors. When after a few sec- 

 onds it was to be observed that the last grain was not 

 affected by moisture, this ant turned abruptly away and 

 joined his fellows, and no more attention was given to 

 the object which had caused them so much concern. 



The obvious effect of this application of clayey pellets 

 was to j)revent the moisture from jjenetrating through 

 the roof of the ant hill into the cavities beneath. This 

 was a clear case of stopping a leak, and that these ants 

 know the value of sandy clay as an absorbent seems fur- 

 ther illustrated by the frequency with which these clay- 

 coated grains of sand are distributed about theii- hills. 



After rains, the ants may be seen bringing these objects 

 up out of the peripheral holes of a hill and placing them 

 on the dome to dry. It would be interesting to note 

 whether or not dry pellets are taken below to serve as 

 sponges in drying their underground rooms. 



PEOBLEMS OF ZOOLOGY.* 



Ladies. AND Gentlemen : — Let me assure you that I am 

 not unmindful of the favor shown in electing me to open 

 this International Congress of Zoologists. 



Thirty years have nearly passed since I had the pleas- 

 ure — as a then resident of this bustling city of Chicago — 

 of listening to a series of lectures on zoology by Louis 

 Agassiz, and as I recall the popular interest and enthu- 

 siasm which the great master insjDired, and the singular 

 activity and devotion of Kennicott, Stimpson and others of 

 Chicago's earlier zoologists, I am led to hope for a renewal 

 of that early spirit and enthusiasm as a result of your 

 meeting here. 



Zoology, but a few years back, dealt chiefly with the 

 habits, structure and classification of animals, and was 

 weighted with two prevalent fallacies which theology had 

 so generally impressed on the human mind. These were: 

 the Biblical idea of the creation of organisms as they now 

 exist and their consequent fixity and the homoistio notion 

 that man was, in physical as well as psychical endowment, 

 ajjart from, and not a part of, the rest of the animal world. 

 Released from the oppressive incubus of these long-cher- 

 ished fetiches, zoology has, during the past quarter of a 

 century, bounded into the front rank of the sciences, 

 with so many of which she is so intimately bound. 



Inspired and guided by the search-light of Evolution, 

 which reveals and makes intelligent so much that was hid- 

 den or unmeaning before, zoology must lead her sister 

 sciences in all study of the genesis of life ujDon our planet, 

 whether in past or present time. With the induction of 

 the unity of all psychic phenomena and the conviction 

 that these are inseparable from animal organization, it is 

 her mission to give rational explanation of the subtlest of 

 such jjhenomena and to check the vagaries which exist as 

 to their abnormal manifestations; for even among lower 

 animals there are senses and sense-organs not yet under- 

 stood by us, while some species have developed a tele- 

 pathy wiaich, in its power and ease of demonstration, 

 may well astonish those who have hitherto confined their 

 investigations to man. 



Deeper study of electricity, as exemplified in the animal 

 world, may helj) the electrician to abetter understanding 

 of the nature of that force, the practical application of 

 which to the affairs of civilized man has made such gi- 

 gantic strides of late ; while animal phosphorescence may yet 

 illumine, when better understood, the j^ath of the phy- 

 sicist in his investigations of the phenomena of light. 

 Animal mechanics, as exhibited in flight, may hold the 

 solution of practical aeronautics, which jsromises to cap the 

 marvelous and momentous discoveries of the century; 

 while to the inventor they are pregnant with yet untold 

 and unthought-of suggestions. 



That branch of zoology which concerns the interrela- 

 tions and interactions of animals is not only fascinating 

 to the philosophic student, but has a most important 

 economic bearing, es^jecially to those engaged in agricul- 

 tural and horticultural pursuits. 



But the subject which just now seems to be receiving 

 most attention from zoologists, is heredity, and the cog- 

 nate question which has divided us into two ojiposing 

 camps, as to whether or not characters and functions ac- 

 quired during the lifetime of the individual are trans- 



*Remarks made at the opening of the International Zoological Congress, 

 Chicago, August 19, 1893, by Dr. C. V. Riley of Washington, D. C, as Honor- 

 ary Chairman, 



