50 



PEEFECT SOCIETIES OE INSECTS. 



interesting traits, while I endeavour to teach you their lan- 

 guage, to develop their affections and passions, and to delineate 

 their virtues, — while I show them to you when engaged in 

 war, and enable you to accompany them both in their military 

 expeditions and in their emigrations, — while I make you a 

 witness of their indefatigable industry and incessant labours, 

 or invite you to be present, during their hours of relaxation, 

 at their sports and amusements. 



That ants, though they are mute animals, have the means 

 of communicating to each other information of various oc- 

 currences, and use a kind of language which is mutually 

 understood, will appear evident from the following facts. 



If those at the surface of a nest are alarmed, it is wonder- 

 ful in how short a time the alarm spreads through the whole 

 nest. It runs from quarter to quarter ; the greatest inquie- 

 tude seems to possess the community ; and they carry with 

 all possible despatch their treasures, the larvse and pupae, down 

 to the lowest apartments. Amongst those species of ants that 

 do not go much from home, sentinels seem to be stationed at 

 the avenues of their city. Disturbing once the little heaps of 

 earth thrown up at the entrances into the nest of F.Jlava, 

 which is of this description, I was struck by observing a 

 single ant immediately come out, as if to see what was the 

 matter, and this three separate times. 



The F. herculanea inhabits the trunks of hollow trees on 

 the Continent (for it has not yet been found in England), upon 

 which they are often passing to and fro. M. Huber observed, 

 that when he disturbed those that were at the greatest dis- 

 tance from the rest, they ran towards them, and, striking 

 their head against them, communicated their cause of fear or 

 anger, — that these, in their turn, convej^ed in the same way 

 the intelligence to others, till the whole colony was in a 

 ferment, those neuters which were within the tree running 

 out in crowds to join their companions in the defence of their 

 habitation. The same signals that excited the courage of the 

 neuters produced fear in the males and females, which, as 

 soon as the news of the danger was thus communicated to 

 them, retreated into the tree as to an asylum. 



The legs of one of this gentleman's artificial formicaries 



