246 SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ON THE HABITS OF ANTS. 



SO dependent on their slaves as to perish in two or three days if 

 separated from them. That this is the case, has been shown by 

 subsequent observers. It is no use giving them food — say honey ; 

 they will not touch it. Or rather, they walk carelessly over it, 

 smear their legs, and die, if a slave is not put in to clean and 

 dry them. I found, however, that I could keep even a single Poly- 

 ergus alive for more than three months by giving her a slave for 

 about an hour a day to attend on and feed her. I have one at 

 this moment which has been so treated since November, and 

 which is still alive and well*. 



Division of Labour. 



I mentioned in my last paper that in the autumn of 1875 I 

 noticed an ant belonging to one of my nests of F.fusca out feed- 

 ing alone. The next day the same ant was again out by herself, 

 and for some weeks no other ant, so far as I observed, came out 

 to the food. I did not, however, watch her with sufficient regu- 

 larity. This winter, therefore, I have kept two nests under close 

 observation, having arranged with my daughters and their gover- 

 ness. Miss Wendland (most conscientious observers), that one of 

 us should look at them once an hour during the day. One of the 

 nests contained about 200 individuals, the other, a nest of P. ru- 

 fescens with the usual slaves, about 400. The mistresses them- 

 selves never come out for food, leaving all this to the slaves. 



We began watching on the first of November, but did not keep 

 an hourly register till the 20th, after which date the results are 

 given in the following tables. Table No. 1 relates to the nest of 

 F.fusca, and the ants are denoted by numbers. The hours at which 

 we omitted to record an observation are left blank ; when no ant 

 was at the honey, the square is marked with an 0. An ant, marked 

 in my register as No. 3, was at this time acting as feeder to the 

 community. 



The only cases in which other ants came to the honey were at 

 2 P.M. on the 22nd Nov., when another ant came out, whom we 

 registered as No. 4, another on the 2&th, registered as No. 5. Other 

 ants came out occasionally, but not one came to the honey (except 

 the above mentioned) from the 28th Nov. till the 3rd Jan., when 

 another (whom we registered as No. 6) began feeding. After 

 this a friend visited the honey once on the 4th, once on the 11th, 

 and again on the 15th, when she was registered as No. 7. 



• '^ April 15. She is still well. 



