SIB JOHN LUBBOCK OK THE HABITS OF ANTS. 219 



One day (Oct. 27tli, 1876) I put some provisions in a shallow 

 box with a glass top and a single hole on one side ; I then put 

 some specimens of Lasius niger to the food, and soon a stream of 

 ants was at work busily carrying supplies off to the nest. When 

 they had got to know the way thoroughly, and from thirty to forty 

 were so occupied, I poured some fine mould in front of the hole 

 so as to cover it up to a depth of about ^ an inch. I then took 

 out the ants which were actually in the box. As soon as the ants 

 had recovered from the shock of this unexpected proceeding on 

 my part, they began to run all round and about the box, looking 

 for some other place of entrance. Finding none, however, they 

 began digging down into the earth just over the hole, carrying 

 off the grains of earth one by one and depositing them without 

 any order all round at a distance of from ^ to 6 inches, until they 

 had excavated down to the doorway, when they again began car- 

 rying off the food as before. 



This experiment I repeated on the following days three or four 

 times, always with the same result. 



I also tried the same experiment with another species, viz. L. 

 flatus, and with the same result. 



As to 'power of Communication. 



In my previous paper I have recorded various experiments 

 made with the view of ascertaining whether, when ants have found 

 a store of food, they are able to describe the route to their com- 

 panions. The following also seems to me instructive. I put an 

 ant (i. niger) to some larvse as usual, and when she knew her 

 way, I allowed her to go home on her own legs ; but as soon as 

 she emerged from the nest, if she had any friends with her, I took 

 her up and carried her to the larvse. Under these circumstances 

 very few ants indeed found their way to them. Thus, June 

 22, at 5.80, an ant which had been previously under obser- 

 vation was put to some larvse. She took one and returned as 

 usual to the nest. At 5.34 she came out with no less than 10 

 friends, and was then transferred to the larvse. The others wan- 

 dered about a little, but by degrees returned to the nest, not one 

 of them finding their way to the larvse. The single one above re- 

 ferred to picked up a larva, returned, and again came out of the 

 nest at 5.39 with eight friends, when exactly the same thing 

 happened. She again came out with companions at the under- 

 mentioned times : — 



19* 



