AFFINITIES AND GENEALOGY. IIIJ 



and spiritual powers of man, have divided the whole organic 

 world into three kingdoms, the Human, the Animal, and the 

 Vegetable, thus giving to man a separate kingdom.' Spiritual 

 poTS'flrs cannot be compared or classed by the naturalist: but he 

 may endeavor to show, as I have done, that the mental faculties 

 of mun and the lower animals do not differ in kind, although 

 immensely in degree. A difference in degree, however great, 

 does DOt justify us in placing man in a distinct kingdom, as will 

 perhat>tf be best illustrated by comparing the mental powers of 

 two insects, namely, a coccus or scale-insect and an ant, which 

 undoubtf?dly belong to the same claps. The difference is here 

 greater LJian, though of a somewhat different kind from, that 

 between man and the highest mammal. The female coccus, whilst 

 young, attaches itself by its proboscis to a plant; sucks the sap, 

 but never moves again; is fertilized and lays eggs; and this is its 

 whole histcry. On the other hand, to describe the habits and 

 mental powers of worker-ants, would require, as Pierre Huber 

 has shown, a large volume; I may, however, briefly specify a few 

 points. Ants certainly communicate information to each other, 

 and several unite for the same work, or for games of play. They 

 recognize their fellow-ants after months of absence, and feel sym- 

 pathy for eact other. They build great edifices, keep them clean, 

 close the dooij in the evening, and post sentries. They make 

 roads as weli ae tunnels under rivers, and temporary bridges over 

 them, by clinging together. They collect food for the community, 

 and when an object, too large for entrance, is brought to the nest, 

 they enlarge the door, and afterwards build it up again. They 

 store up seeas, ct which they prevent the germination, and which, 

 if damp, are oreaght up to the surface to dry. They keep aphides 

 and other insecls as milch-cows. They go out to battle in regular 

 bands, and rreely sacrifice their lives for the common weal. They 

 emigrate according to a preconcerted plan. They capture slaves. 

 They move the eggs of their aphides, as well as their own eggs 

 and cocoons, in\,o warm parts of the nest, in order that they may 

 be quickly hatched; and endless similar facts could be given.^ On 

 the whole, t-he aifference in mental power between an ant and a 

 coccus is immeiise; yet no one has ever dreamed of placing these 

 insects in aistinct classes, much less in distinct kingdoms. No 

 doubt the Jiffej-ence is bridged over by other insects; and this 



1 Isidore Geoffrey St.-Hilaire gives a detailed account of the position 

 assigned to man by various naturalists in their classifications: 'Hist. 

 Nat. Gen.' torn. ii. 1859, po. 170-189. 



2 Some of the most interesting facts ever published on the habits of 

 ants are given by Mr. Belt, in his 'Naturalist in Nicaragua,' 1874. See, 

 also, Mr. Moggridge's admirable worl?, 'Harvesting Ants,' &c., 1873, 

 also 'L'lnstinct chez les Insectes,' by II. George Pouchet, 'Revue des 

 Deux Mondes," Feb. 1870, p. 6S2. 



