526 General Notes. [ August, 
another by any password. On the other hand, if ants are removed 
from a nest in the pupa state, tended by strangers and then re- 
stored, some at least of their relatives are certainly puzzled, and 
in many cases doubt their claim to consanguinity. I say some, 
because while strangers, under the circumstances, would have 
been immediately attacked, these ants were in every case amicably 
received by the majority of the colony, and it was sometimes 
several hours before they came across one who did not recognize 
them.” Lubbock believes that ants produce sounds, and alludes 
to a letter in Mature for December, from Mr. T. S. Tait, who 
writing from Baroda, says that by means of the microphone “ we 
have been able to hear the roar [sic] of a black ant when attacked 
by its companion.” Lubbock adds that “Prof. Bell most kindly 
set up for me an extremely sensitive microphone ; it was attached 
to the under side of one of my nests, and though we could dis- 
tinctly hear the ants walking about, we could not distinguish any 
other sound. It is, however, far from improbable that ants may 
produce sounds entirely beyond our range of hearing ; indeed it 
is not impossible that insects may possess senses, or rather sensa- 
tions, of which we can no more form an idea than we should 
have been able to conceive red or green if the human race had 
been blind. The human ear is sensitive to vibrations reaching 
to 38,000 ina second. The sensation of red is produced when 
470 millions of millions of vibrations enter the eye in a similar 
time; but between these two numbers vibrations produce on us 
only the sensation of heat; we have no special organs of sense 
adapted to them. But there is no reason in the nature of things 
why this should be the case with other animals; and the prob- 
lematical organs possessed by many of the lower forms favor the 
suggestion. If any apparatus could be devised by which the 
number of vibrations produced by any given cause could be 
lowered so as to be brought within the range of our ears, it 15 
probable that the result would be most interesting.” 
He also relates an anecdote of the kind treatment, by its fel- 
lows, of an ant born without antennæ, adding, “It would have 
been difficult for any one who witnessed this scene to have denied 
to this ant the possession of human feelings.” On the other 
i ; : 
” 
matter, and do not even stop to look on. 
Rev. Mr. McCook, of Philadelphia, author of a recent work on 
the agricultural ant of Texas, states that the mandibles of ants 
are worn off and become blunted by the labor which they per- 
form. His observations have been confirmed by Mr. E. P. Aus- 
tin from the examination of the mandibles of nearly hundred 
specimens of a ground beetle (Pasimachus). Mr. McCook early 
rpose of 
in July went to Colorado and New Mexico for the pu 
