ANTS AND ANT LIFE. 41 



everywhere the stamp of a truth set forth with the greatest 

 attractiveness ; and the simplicity of the narration does not 

 veil the enthusiasm of the author for the little world he 

 studied so minutely." 



Blanchard himself opens his chapter on ants with the 

 characteristic announcement, that although the lack of 

 trustworthy observers in former times gave free play to the 

 imagination, yet all inventions are utterly outdone by the 

 reality which we now know. 



D. B. Graber (" Insects," Munich, 1879) calls ants the 

 coryphees or Primates of the insect-world, on account of 

 their highly-developed intelligence, their enormous numbers, 

 and their motto, " viribis unitis." 



Forel, for his part, sets ants so high that he regards them 

 as being among insects what man is among Mammalia. 

 This would be most suitable as applied to the ants of the 

 tropics, although Forel's observations were confined to 

 native ants. " The role played by ants," says Forel, " in 

 Nature's economy in Switzerland is a very modest one, as 

 compared to that assigned to them in tropical lands. The 

 strength given to these little creatures by their unity and 

 intelligence is there shown in a surprising manner ; and the 

 tales of travellers on this matter mount often to tragedy. 

 The Brazilians are wont to say that the ants are the real kings 

 of Brazil, for they exert therein an almost unchallenged 

 rule." " There can be no doubt," Forel goes on, " that the 

 ants are the most intelligent of insects. Not Huber alone, 

 but also Ebrard, Swammerdam, Lepeletier, and the other 

 authors and writers who have taken the trouble to compare 

 their habits and customs with those of bees, find themselves 

 compelled to award them the palm. Their architecture is 

 less artistic indeed, but it changes according to place and 

 materials, suits itself to circumstances, and knows how to 

 utilise everything, while that of bees always remains the 

 same. Bees have no great trouble with their larva?, and 

 content themselves with carrying food for them into the 

 ceils. But the ants are obliged to feed their young from 

 their own mouths, to bestow on them lengthened care, and 

 to carry them from one place to another if there be a change 

 of temperature, and they have to do all this during several 

 weeks, while the bee-larva? only remain in the larval condi- 

 tion for five days. Further, the bee finds its own way out 



