INTELLIGENCE IN INSECTS 213 
T left the arrangement for several weeks, but they continued 
to go round by the long paper bridge.” 
The facts above stated should render us suspicious of 
conclusions regarding the high degree of intelligence which 
ants have been supposed to manifest in certain of their 
activities, especially in their powers of communication, in 
their military manceuvers, and in the keeping of slaves and 
guests. A foraging ant finds some sugar, or a dead insect too 
heavy to carry to thé nest, and she goes home, communicates 
by means of striking with the antennz with other ants, and 
then returns with several companions to her prize. Or it may 
be that some of the “scouts” of a marauding species discover 
a nest of a species preyed upon, and after visiting her 
own nest and making her report, guides an expedition of 
warriors to the habitation of the enemy. The older writers 
on ants and some of the modern ones have made much of 
their power of communication, and in reading their accounts 
one might almost be led to believe that ants have a language 
with a large vocabulary, and hold elaborate dissertations 
on the food discovered, the whereabouts of their enemies, 
their strength, and the most feasible way in which to conduct 
an attack. That some power of communication exists has 
been abundantly shown, but for the most part it consists 
of signs instinctively made under certain conditions and 
which are instinctively responded to by other ants. In 
spite of the valuable investigations of several of the foremost 
myrmecologists our knowledge of ant “language” is very 
imperfect. Among the actions which have been considered 
to be involved in communication are striking with the anten- 
nz, butting with the head, opening the jaws, beating the 
floor with the abdomen, and the production of sounds by 
various kinds of apparatus for stridulation. What the 
particular things may be which are signified by these various 
