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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
•electrical species. The denomination “Electrical Eel” thus becomes a 
misnomer for the Gymnotus. — Sitzungsberichte der Gesellsch. naturforsch. 
Freunde zu Berlin, 1878. 
Sir John Lubbock on Ants. — Sir John Lubbock read two papers on ants at 
the Linnean Society on February 6. The first gave an account of their ana- 
tomy ; but, from the extreme complexity of these interesting little creatures, 
it would be impossible to make this communication intelligible without the 
figures. The second paper was a continuation of his observations on the habits 
of ants. He mentioned that he had at first isolated his nests by means of water. 
This was effectual enough, but, especially in summer, the water required to 
be continually renewed. Kerner, however, had suggested that the hairs of 
plants served to prevent ants from obtaining access to the honey, and it 
accordingly occurred to him that strips of fur arranged with the points of 
the hairs downwards might answer his purpose. He had tried this ; and 
finding it successful, he thought a similar arrangement might perhaps be 
found useful in hot countries. 
It is generally stated that the queen ants alone lay eggs, but Sir John has 
found that in most of his nests some few of the workers are capable of doing 
so. It appears, however, that these eggs always produce males. In the 
case of bees we know that the queen is fed on a special kind of food. In 
ants it is not possible to make observations similar to those by which in bees 
this has been established. It is, however, rendered more than probable by 
the fact that while males and workers have been bred by hundreds in his 
nests, no queen has yet been produced. 
It is well known that ants keep other species of insects in their nests, 
which they use just as we do cows, &c. 
The “ Mat. p. l’Hist. prim, de l’Homme ” for 1869 contains a short but 
interesting account by M. Lespes of some experiments made by him on the 
relations existing between ants and their domestic animals, from which it 
might be inferred that even within the limits of a single species some com- 
munities are more advanced than others. He found that specimens of the 
blind beetle, Claviger Duvalii, which always occurs with ants, when trans- 
ferred from a nest of Lasius niger to another which kept none of these 
domestic beetles, were invariably attacked and eaten. From this he infers 
that the intelligence necessary to keep Claviger s is not coextensive with the 
species, but belongs only to certain communities and races, which, so to 
speak, are more advanced in civilisation than the rest of the species. 
Sir John Lubbock, however, removed specimens of the curious Platyarthrus 
from one nest to another, but they were always amicably received. He even 
transferred specimens from a nest of Lasius Jlavus to one of Formica fusca, 
with the same result. 
As regards the longevity of ants he has now two queens of F. fusca, which 
seem quite in good health, and which have lived with him since 1874 ; they 
are therefore probably five years old. He has also workers of Lasius niger , 
Formica sanguinea, F. fusca , and F. cinerea , which he has had under obser- 
vation since 1876. 
In his previous papers he had given various instances which seem to show 
that ants do not exhibit such unvarying kindness to their friends as has been 
usually supposed. He wished to guard himself, however, against being sup- 
