212 



SIB JOHN LUBBOCK. ON THE HABITS OF ANTS. 

 Pig. 4. 



Routes followed in experiment No. 4, as described in text. 

 Cross line at the six arrows represents paper bridge going to nest. 0, china 

 cup on top of pencil. D, pencil moTed. E, where stray larvae were found. 1,2, 

 3, 4, dotted lines show the nearly direct journeys. 5, thick white line (crossing 

 in black) of route returning to nest B, being position of larva in the course. 

 6, very circuitous thin white line of track from nest to pencil D. 



larva at E, wifcli which she returned to the nest, without finding the 

 pencil at all. On the following jouruey, shown in fine white zigzag 

 line (6), she found the pencil at last, but, as will be seen, only after 

 many meanderings. 



Exp.5. — I then repeated the observation on three other ants (see 

 figs. 5-7) with the same result : the second was 7 minutes before 

 she found the pencil, and at last seemed to do so accidentally ; the 

 third actually wandered about for no less than half an hour, re- 

 turning up the paper bridge several times. 



Other experiments somewhat similar to the preceding, the 

 results of which are shown in the figures 6 and 7, seem to prove 

 that this species of ant, at any rate, guides itself but little by 

 sight. This, which I had not at all anticipated, seems to follow 

 from the fact thatafter the pencil and tray of larvse had been 



