Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-06-19

80
The following fact with respect TO the habits
Of ants, which ] believe TO be qul,e new, las
been sent to me by distinguished geologlst,
Mr. J. D. Hague; and 1t appears well worth
rnhl.hino CHARLES DARWIN.
On the man tel-shelf of her sitting room
INV wife has the habit of keeping fresh
flowers. A vase stands at each end, ana
near the middle small tumbler, usually
filled with violets.
Sometime ago I noticed file OF very
small red ants on the wall above the left
hand vase. passing upward and down.
ward between the mantel shelf and small
hole near the ceiling, at point where
had been driven. The ants,
when first observed, were not very numer-
Gus, but gradually increased in number,
and on some days the little creatures
formed an almost unbroken procession,
issuing from the hole at the nail, descend
ing the wall, climbing the vase directly
below the nail, satisfying their desire for
water or perfume, and then returning.
The other vase and tumbler were not
visited at that time. gt5,.,s. go
AS was Just then recovering from a
long illness It happened that l was con-
fined to the house, and spent my days in
insects attracted my attention.
Their presence caused me some annoy
ance. but knew Of no effective means OF
getting rid of them. For several days
in succession frequently brushed the
ants in great numbers from the wall down
to the floor; but as they were not killed,
the result was that they soon formed
colony in the wall at the base of the man
tel, ascending thence to the shelf, so that
before long the vase was attacked from
above and below.
One day observed number OF ants,
perhaps thirty or forty, on the shelf at the
foot of the vase. Thinking to kill them,
/ struck them lightly with the end OF my
finger, killing some and disabling the
rest. The effect of this was immediate
and unexpected. AS soon as those ants
that were approaching. arrived near TO
where their fellows lay dead and suffering,
they turned and fed with all possible
haste In half an hour the wall above
the mantel-shelf was cleared OF ants.
During the space OF an hour or two the
colony from below continued to ascend,
until reaching the lower beveled edge of
the Shelf at which point the more timid
individuals, although unable to see the
vase, somehow became aware OF trouble,
and turned about without further investi-
cation; while the more daring advanced
hesitatingly just to the upper edge OF the
shelf, where extending their antenna and
stretching their necks, they seemed to
peep cautiously over the edge until be-
holding their suffering companions, when
they too turned and followed the others,
expressing by their behavior great excite
ment and terror. An hour or two later
the path or trail leading from the lower
colony to the vase was almost entirely
free from ants.
] killed one or two ants on their path,
striking them with my finger, but leaving
no visible trace. The effect of this was
that as soon as an ant ascending towards
the shelf, reached the spot where one had
been killed, it gave signs Immediately OF
great disturbance, and returned directly
at the highest speed possible.
A curious and invariable feature oftheir
behavior was that when such an ant, re-
turning in fright, met another approach
ing, the two would always communicate,
but each would pursue its own way; the
second ant continuing its journey to the
then following that example.
VI ScNcIdI dltCI tIllS tHCIC WClCho
ants visible on the wall, either above or
below the shelf Then a few ants from
the lower colony began to reappear, but
instead of visiting the vase, which had
been the scene of the disaster, they avoided
it altogether, and following the lower
front edge of the shelf to the tumbler
tack upon that. / repeated the same ex-
~ har al ha
suit. Killing or manning a few of the
ants and leaving their bodies about the
base of the tumbler, the others on ap-
preaching, and even before arriving at the
upper surface of the shelf where their mu-
tilated companions were visible, gave
signs Of intense emotion, some running
away Immediately and others advancing
to where they could survey the field, and
then Fastening away precipitately.
Occasionally an ant would advance to-
ward the tumbler until it found itself
among the dead and dying, then it seemed
to lose all self-possession, running hither
and thither, making wide circuits about
the scene of the trouble, stopping at times
and elevating the antennR with move
ment suggestive of wringing them in de-
SPAR, and finally taking flight.
AlpcI LniS announcer interval Ol SeVcTdl
days passed, during which no ants ap-
peared Now, three months later, the
lower colony has been entirely abandoned.
Occasionally, however, especially when
fresh and fragrant violets have been placed
on the shelf, few "prospectors" descend
from the upper nailhole, rarely, almost
never, approaching the vase from which
they were first driven away, but seeking
to satisfy their desire at the tumbler. To
turn back these stragglers and keep them
out of sight for a number of days, some
times for fortnight, it is sufficient to kill
one or two ants on the trail which they
follow descending the wall. This / have
recently done as high up as l can reach
three or four feet above the mantel The
moment this spot is reached an ant turns
abruptly and makes for home. and In a