120 RECOGNITION OF FRIENDS. 
Lasius niger, she was at once attacked. One ant would 
seize her by an antenna, another by a leg, and she was 
either dragged out of the nest or killed. 
Moreover, we have not only to deal with the fact 
that ants know all their comrades, but that they recog- 
nise them even after a lengthened separation. 
Huber mentions that some ants which he had kept 
in captivity having accidentally escaped, ‘met and 
recognised their former companions, fell to mutual 
caresses with their antenne, took them up by their 
mandibles, and led them to their own nests; they 
came presently in a crowd.to seek the fugitives under 
and about the artificial ant-hill, and even ventured to 
reach the bell-glass, where they effected a complete 
desertion by carrying away successively all the ants 
they found there. In a few days the ruche was 
depopulated. These ants had remained four months 
without any communication.”! This interesting state- 
ment has been very naturally copied by succeeding 
writers. See, for instance, Kirby and Spence’s ‘In- 
troduction to Entomology,’ vol. ii. p. 66, and Newport, 
‘Trans. of the Entomological Society of London,’ 
vol. ii. p. 239. 
Forel, indeed, regards the movements observed by 
Huber as having indicated fear and surprise rather than 
affection ; though he is quite disposed to believe, from 
his own observations, that ants would recognise one 
another after a separation of several months. 
1 Huber, p. 172. 
