ANTS AND ANT LIFE. 107 



riddle by the experiments and trials he made. If he kept 

 the ants away from certain granaries the grain therein began 

 to sprout, proving that it was not outside circumstances but 

 some action on the part of the ants themselves which pre- 

 vented germination. In deserted or separated parts of the 

 nest, the seeds sprouted into grasses. 



Perhaps the ants manage to purposely delay the sprouting 

 with some gummy substance, by mechanical stopping up of 

 the so-called eye of the seed, whereby damp penetrates 

 within. When the time comes for them to make use of the 

 seeds as food, this substance is then removed, and the seed 

 purposely moistened and caused to germinate. But in order 

 to prevent the further growth which would render the seed 

 useless for food, the ants bite or gnaw the growing sprout 

 or radicle, and then bring out the thus changed seed to dry 

 in the sun. They are then again granaried. When they 

 have become wet by falling rain, they are submitted to a 

 drying process in the same fashion. 



It is well-known that seeds are much altered by germi- 

 nation, especially cereals, so that the starch contained in them 

 is changed into sugar and gums. At the same time the 

 hard integument is broken, the whole grain swells and be- 

 comes soft. It is then in the condition needed and desired 

 by the ants, which eat the soft part, especially their favorite 

 sugary matter, or satisfy therewith the large claims of their 

 growing larvse, and leave the shell or husk in the form of 

 refuse. This refuse forms the chief part of the rubbish 

 heaps described above. This whole process is just the same as 

 that adopted by brewers towards malt of barley or corn, so that 

 it cannot be doubted that ants are thoroughly acquainted with 

 one of the most important branches of human ingenuity and 

 industry nay, that according to all appearances they were 

 acquainted with it before men appeared on the surface of 

 the globe. " Instinct " cannot have thus taught them, but 

 only experience, and the methodical application of this oc- 

 casional experience to an appropriate end can only be the 

 result of a conscious act of reflection, which in certain 

 genera has gradually become a heritable mental habit. 

 They are, however, prudent enough not to allow themselves 

 to be so completely controlled by this inherited mental 

 habit, as not to spare themselves the troublesome harvesting 

 and garnering of corn, when they can obtain it or, as we 



