SIR .TOUN LUBBOCK ON THE HABITS OF ANTS, 23^ 



spectively recognized as such, or that they themselves were fully 

 aware of their position. 



In the first nest the friend at once joined the other ants, who 

 began to clean her. The stranger rau about in evident alarm, 

 was pursued by the others, and took refuge in a corner. At 2 

 the friend was with the other ants, the stranger alone in a 

 corner. At 2.25 the friend was almost cleaned, and after 2.30 

 we could no longer distinguish her : the stranger was still aloue. 

 At 3.40 she came out of her hiding-place and was attacked ; after 

 a while she escaped from the nest. At 5.30 she met one of the 

 ants, and a battle at once began. I separated the combatants 

 and put the stranger back near her own nest, which she at once 

 entered, and where she was soon cleaned by her own friends. 



I will now describe the adventures of the other couple. The 

 friend immediately joined the other ants ; the stranger was hunted 

 about and soon seized. At 2 the frieud was ail right, the stranger 

 being dragged about. At 2.30 ditto. The stranger was soon 

 killed. The friend, whom I watched at intervals till 6.30, con- 

 tinued on the best terms with the others ; it was quite clear, 

 therefore, that they did not regard her as a stranger. She herself 

 was not afraid of, and did not avoid them. Still for some time she 

 apparently wished to return home. She came out of the nest 

 and tried to find her way home to her own nest. I put her back 

 again, however, and by the evening she seemed to have accustomed 

 herself to the change, I opened the door of the nest soon after 

 5 ; but she showed no wish to leave her newly acquired friends, 



Sept. 1. At 11 A.M. I again put into each nest an ant from the 

 other and a stranger. In the one nest the friend joined the other 

 ants, and seemed quite at home ; the stranger, on the contrary, 

 endeavoured to conceal herself, and at length, at 4 in the after- 

 noon, escaped from the nest. 



In the other division the friend also appeared quite at home. 

 The stranger, on the contrary, endeavoured to escape, but in the 

 course of the afternoon was attacked and killed. 



Oct. 15. At 8 A.M. I repeated the same experiment. In the 

 first nest, up to 10 A.M., neither ant was attacked ; audit is curious 

 that the stranger was licked and, indeed, almost cleaned. Soon 

 afterwards, however, the ants began to attack her, and at 3 p,m, 

 she was dead, the friend, on the contrary, being quite at home. 

 Still the following day at midday I found her out of the nest (all 

 the rest being within). This almost looks as if, though safe, she 



LINN. JOUEN. ZOOLOGT, VOL. XIII. 20 



