268 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
The ant, from its commonness, and the industry, intelligence and persist¬ 
ence which it exhibits, has long been the theme of writers. Still, as some of its 
supposed characteristics are mythical, it may be well to refer to peculiarities which 
it undoubtedly possesses. In the first place, Sir John Lubbock has established 
the fact that the ant dislikes many colors of the spectrum, avoiding violet, 
green and red. There would seem to be no evidence of the ant’s possessing 
the sense of hearing. It hunts 
by scent, not sight; it has re¬ 
markable powers of memory, 
especially in regard to direction. 
It would seem to be able to 
indulge in at least rudimentary 
reflection, as may be seen from 
the following anecdote: An ant 
having found an insect pinned 
to the ground, returned to its hill 
and again came forth attended by 
others. The insect having been 
removed, and therefore not to 
be found, it was again placed 
in the way of the ant, and the ant solicited the aid of its fellows; these would go no 
farther than to the entrance of their hill, evidently meaning to profit by their 
disappointing experience. Furthermore, ants have been proved to be able to 
recognize a member of their own family even when the stranger had been taken 
away in its larval period, and re¬ 
turned only after reaching maturity. 
The ant, however, displays curiosity, 
rather than sympathy, at any misfor¬ 
tune which may befall his fellows. 
Ants educate their young; they 
understand the economic value of 
the division of labor, so that they 
separate themselves into workers, 
soldiers, kings and queens ; they go 
to war, make slaves, keep cows (in 
the shape of certain aphides); attend 
to their toilets ; build cemeteries and 
fortify their dwellings. The for¬ 
mica refaseas enslaves the black 
ant, the formica sanguinea , for 
household purposes; in Brazil 
they use the leaf-bugs as beasts 
of burden; they make pets especially of some kinds of beetles. They cleanse 
themselves and each other by the use of their fore legs; they believe that 
life is not intended to be all work and no play, so they engage in wrest¬ 
ling, in games of hide and seek, and in other forms of active amusement. 
They build their cemeteries at a distance from their hills, though at times, if a 
stream pass through' their dwelling, they give their dead the burial of a sailor. 
Among the builders is the formica ccespitiim , which is a small black ant. 
phryganea, earva and adui/T ( Phryganea striata). 
