112 A LECTURE ON ANTS. 



by those who were more audacious. Some are cowardlj^, and fly from the 

 approach of danger, while other species are so courageous that a single 

 specimen surrounded by enemies never attempts to fly, but fights valiantly 

 until overpowered by numbers. Ants have long had the credit of being in- 

 dustrious, and with good reason, for Sir John describes, as the result of close 

 observation, one of the workers in his own collection as being actively em- 

 ployed without intermission from six in the morning till 10:15 in the even- 

 ing. The length of the preparatory stages of life was pretty well known, 

 but the total duration of ant existence has yet to be determined. Sir John 

 has workers still healthy and active which were captured in September and 

 a^ovember, 1875, and queens which he has had under observation since De- 

 cember, 1874. As a rule each species lives by itself, but there are excep- 

 tions, and one species is found exclusively in the nests of largor varieties, 

 but at present the relationship between them is not understood. One species 

 is so dependent on slaves for the care of their young, and even for being 

 fed, that without their slaves they cannot exist, though in the presence of 

 ample supplies of the best food. In two of his nests Sir John found that 

 two ants from each were deputed to come out and fetch food for the rest of 

 the community, consisting in one case of about two hundred, and in the 

 other of four hundred individuals. When these messengers were captured 

 and imprisoned, two fresh messengers were appointed from each nest, the 

 experiment being repeated several times, always with the like result. Ex- 

 periments to test the intelligence of ants were not favorable to their capacity 

 in that respect, for when cut off from their food supply by drawing back a 

 little strip of paper which acted as a bridge, they had not intelligence to re- 

 bridge the chasm of one-third of an inch by pushing the strip of paper 

 back. Varied experiments of a similar character resulted in the same way^ 

 except where a hole leading into a box containing food was stopped by a 

 little mold; then the ants speedily burrowed into the mold, and found their 

 way into the box, and again carried off the food. Sir John did not find 

 that display of intelligence and affection which some naturalists had de- 

 clared induce ants, when any of their companions are accidentally buried^ 

 to burrow down and rescue them. They do seem capable of discriminating 

 between companions and strangers, for when a number of each were intoxi- 

 cated and placed near a nest, the sober ants, after being very much puzzled 

 at the unaccountable condition of the inebriates, carefully carried into the 

 nest their helpless friends and pitched the strangers into a dish of water. 

 When, however, some friends and strangers were chloroformed to death 

 and laid near a nest the ants seemed to appreciate that the deceased were 

 past remedy, and therefore pitched both friends and strangers indiscrimi- 

 nately over the edge of the table. Attempting to verify the truth of Hu- 

 ber's declaration that when ants had been separated for four months and 

 then returned to their nest they were recognized and carressed by their 

 companions, Sir John found that though there was no sign of recognition 

 when a separated friend was returned to the nest, he w^as never attacked,. 



