470 SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ON ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS. 



in many cases an ant whicb had for some time had access to a 

 glass with many larvae was suddenly deprived of it, and it might 

 well be that some time elapsed before the change was discovered. 

 Some stray ants would, no doubt, in any case have found the 

 larvse ; and we ought probably to allow for at least 25 under this 

 head. Again, some would, no doubt, casually accompany their 

 friends : if we allow 25 also in this respect, we must deduct 50 

 from each side, and we shall have 205 against 37. Nevertheless 

 even without any allowances, the results seem to me very definite. 

 Some of the individual cases, especially perhaps experiments 9 

 10, 20, 21, and 22, are very striking ; and, taken as a whole, during 

 47g hours, the ants which had access to a glass containing nume- 

 rous larvse brought 257 friends ; while during 53 hours those 

 which were visiting a glass with only 2 or 3 larvae brought only 

 82 to their assistance. 



One case of apparent communication struck me very much. I 

 had had an ant (F. nigra) under observation one day, during which 

 she was occupied in carrying off larvae to her nest. At night I im- 

 prisoned her in a small bottle ; in the morning I let her out at 

 6.15, when she immediately resumed her occupation. Having to 

 go to London, I imprisoned her again at 9 o'clock. When I re- 

 turned at 4.40, 1 put her again to the larvae. She examined them 

 carefully, but went home without taking, one. At this time no 

 other ants were out of the nest. In less than a minute she came 

 oiit again with 8 friends, and the little troop made straight 

 for the heap of larvae. "When they had gone two thirds of the 

 way, I again imprisoned the marked ants ; the others hesitated a 

 few moments, and then, with curious quickness, returned home. 

 At 5.15 I put her again to the larvae. She again went home 

 without a larva, but, after only a few seconds' stay in the nest, 

 came out with no less than 13 friends. They all went towards 

 the larvae ; but when they got about two thirds of the way, although 

 the marked ant had on the previous day passed over the ground 

 about 150 times, and though she bad just gone straight from the 

 larvae to the nest, she seemed to have forgotten her way and wan- 

 dered ; and after she had wandered about for half an hour, I put 

 her to the larvae. Now in this ease the 21 ants must have been 

 brought out by my marlced one ; for they came exactly with her, 

 and there were no other ants out. Moreover it would seem that 

 they must have been told, because (which is very curious in itself) 

 she did not in either case bring a larva, and consequently it cannot 



