496 SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ON ANTS, BEES, AND WAS^S. 



if deaf to sounds wLicli we hear, may hear others to which we are 

 deaf. On this subject I hope to make some experiments, in. which 

 Mr. Spottiswoode has kindly promised to assist me. 



The Sense of Smell. 



I have also made similar experiments, though with very diflerent 

 results, on the power of smell possessed by ants. I dipped 

 camel's-hair brushes into peppermint-water, essence of cloves, 

 lavender-water, and other strong scents, and suspended them 

 about I of an inch above the strips of paper along which the 

 ants were passing in the experiments above recorded. Under 

 these circumstances, while some of the ants passed on wit bout 

 taking any notice, others stopped when they came close to the 

 pencil, and, evidently perceiving the smell, turned back. Soon, 

 however, they returned and passed the scented pencil. After 

 doing this two or three times, they generally took no further 

 notice of the scent. This experiment left no doubt on my 

 mind ; still, to make the matter even more clear, I experi- 

 mented with ants placed on an isolated strip of paper, as de- 

 scribed on p. 495. Over the paper, and at such a distance as 

 almost, but not quite, to touch any ant which passed under it, 

 I again suspended a camel's-hair brush, dipped in assafoetida, 

 lavender-water, peppermint-water, essence of cloves, and other 

 scents. In this experiment the results were very marked ; and no 

 one who watched the behaviour of the ants under these circum- 

 stances could have the slightest doubt as to their power of 

 smell. 



I then took a large female of F. ligniperda and tethered her 

 on a board by a thread as before. When she was quite quiet 

 I tried her with the tuning-forks ; but they did not disturb her 

 in the least. I then approached the feather of a pen very quietly, 

 so as just to touch first one and then the other of the antennse, 

 which, however, did not move. I then dipped the pen in essence 

 of musk and did the same ; tlie antenna was slowly retracted and 

 drawn quite back. I then repeated the same with the other an- 

 tenna. If I touched the antenna, the ant started away, appa- 

 rently smarting. I repeated the same with essence of lavender 

 and with a second ant. 



