610 SIR LUBBOCK OT^" BEES, AND WASPS. 



only to certain communities and races, which, so to say, are more 

 advanced in civilization than the rest of the species. 



"With reference to the statements of Lespes, I have more than 

 once transferred specimens of Platyartlirus from one nest to ano- 

 ther, and always found them received amicably. I also trans- 

 ferred specimens from a nest of Lasius flavus to one of Formica 

 fusca with the same result. I even brought from the South of 

 France some specimens of a different species, I believe Tijplilo- 

 pone, and put them in a nest of Formica fmca, where they are 

 still living, and have brought up more than one brood of young. 

 These species, however, occur in most ants' nests, while Clavigers 

 are only found in some. 



Longevity of Ants. 



In my previous paper I have called attention to the longevity 

 of ants, which has proved to be much greater tlian I bad ex- 

 pected. One of my nests oi Formica fusca was brought from the 

 woods in December 1874. It then contained two queens, both of 

 which are (May 1879) still alive. I have little doubt that some 

 of the workers now in the nest were among those originally 

 captured, the mortality after the first few weeks having been but 

 small. This, however, I cannot prove. 



In the following nests, however — viz. another nest of Formica 

 fusca, which I brought in on the 6th June, 1875, one of Lasius 

 niger on the 25th July, 1875, of Formica sa7igicinea (kindly sent 

 me by M. Eorel from Munich) on the 12th September, 1875, 

 and of F. cinerea on the 29th ]N"ovember, 1875 — there were no 

 queens ; and, as already mentioned, no workers have been pro- 

 duced. Those now living are therefore the original ones ; and 

 they must therefore now be between three and four years old. 



In fact, though I lose many ants from accidents, especially in 

 summer, in winter there are very few deaths. 



On tlie mode of recognition of Friends. 



It is clear, from the experiments recorded in the present and 

 in my former papers, that the ants recognize their fellows in the 

 same nest ; but it is very difficult to understand how this can be 

 effected. The nests vary very much in size ; but in some species 

 100,000 individuals may be by no means an unusual number, 

 and in some instances even this is largely exceeded. Now it 

 seems almost incredible that in such cases every ant knows 



