The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-07-19

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men want to call on.-CiHcinnati Times.
Perception in Ants.
The following fact with respect to the habits
of ants, which believe to be quite new, has
been sent to me by distinguished geologist,
Mr. j, ID. Hague; and it appears well worth
publishing. CHARLES DARWIN.
On the mantle-shclf Of her sttng-room my
wife has the habit of keeping fresh flowers
A vase stands at each end and near the mid
die small tumbler, usually filed with vic,
lets.
Sometime ago noticed a file of very small
red ants on the wall above the left-hand vase,
passing upward and downward between the
mantle shelf and a small hole near the cell
ing, at point where piCture-nail had been
driven. The ants when first observed, were
not very numerous, but gradually increased
in number, and on some days the little Crea-
lures formed an almost unbrokcn procession,
issuing from the hole at the nail, descending
the wall, Ginning the vase directly below the
nail, satisfying their desire for water or per
fumc, and then returning. The other vase
and tumbler were not visited at the time.
As was just then recovering from long
illness it happen that | was confined to the
house, and spent my days in the room where
the operations of these insects attracted my
attention.
Their presence caused me some annoyance,
but knew of no effective means of getting
rid of them. For several days in succession
frequently brushed the ants in great num-
bers 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 mantle, ascending thence to the shelf,
so that before long the vase was attacked from
above and below.
One day observed a number of ants, per
haps 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, kill
ing some and disabling the rest. The effect
of this was immediate and unexpected. As
soon as those ants that were approaching ar
rived near to where their fellows lay dead
and suffering, they turned and fled with all
possible haste. In half an hour the wall
above the mantlc-shclf was cleared of ants.
During the space of an hour or two the
colony from below continued to ascend, until
reaching the lower bevcled edge of the
shelf, at which point the more timid individ-
uals, although unable to see the vase, some.
how became aware of trouble, and turned
about without further investigation; while
the more daring advanced hcsitatingly just
to the upper edge of the shelf, where extend
their antennT and stretching their ncCks, they
seemed to peep cautiously over the edge until
bcholding their suffering companions, when
they too turned and followed the others, CX.
pressing by their bchaycior great excitement
and terror. An hour or two later the path
or trail leading from the lower colony to
the vase was almost entirely free from the
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 disturb.
ancc, and returned directly at the highest
speed possible.
A curious and invariablc feature Of their
behavior was that when such an ant, return
ing in fright met another approaching, the
two would always communicate but each
would pursue its own way; the second ant
continuing its journey to the spot where the
first had turned about and then following
that example
For several days after this there were no
ants visible on the wall, either above or below
the shelf. Then few ants from the lower
colony began to reappcar, but instead of Wis.
iting 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 tumblcr standing near the middle,
made their attack upon that. | repeated the
same experiment here with precisely the
same result Killing or manning a few of
the ants and leaving their bodies about the
base of the lumblcr, the others on approach.
ing, and even before arriving at the upper
surface of the shelf where their mutilaied
companions were visible gave signs of in
tense emotion, some running away lmmedl-
atcly and others advancing to where they
could survey the field, and then ha>tcnin"
away pTccIpitatcly.
Occasionally an ant would advance toward
the tumblcr until il found itself among the
dead and dying, then it seemed To lose all
SclfpoSseSsion, running hithcr and thithcr,
making wide circuits about the scene of the
trouble. stopping at times and clcyating
the antcnnu with movement suggestive Of.
wringing them in despair and finally taking
flight
After this another interval OF several days
pasScd.during which no ants appeared. Now,
three months later. the lower colony has been
entirely abandoned Occasionally, however,
especially when fresh and fragrant violets
have been placed on the she'll, few pros
peCtors' descend from the upper nail hole
rarely, almost never, approaching the vase
from which they were first driven away, but
seeking to satisfy their desire at The tumblcr
To turn back these StraggcrS and keep them