Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-04-13
NO. SO.
Miseellameons.
SMELL, HEARING AND SIGHT In ANTS.

In most species of ants the power of
smell is very keen. l placed ants on
strip of paper, each end of which was
immersed in water. They then ran back
ward and forward along the paper,
trying to escape. Ii camel's hair pencil
be suspended just over the paper. they
pass under it without taking any notice of
it; but if it be scented, say with lavender
water, they at once stop when they come
near it, showing in the most unmstakable
manner that they perceive the odor. This
sense appears to reside, though not per-
haps exclusively, in the antenne. feth-
cred, for instance, a large specimen of
Formtcd hgntperotd with a. fine thread to
board, and when she was quite quiet ap-
preached a scented camel's hair pencil
slowly to the tip of the antenna, which
was at once Withdrawn. though the anten-
ma took no notice of a similar pencil if not
scented. On the other hand, as regards
their sense of hearing, the case is very
different. Approaching an ant which was
standing quietly. | have over and over
again made the loudest and most shril
noises l could. using penny pipe, dog
whistle, a violin, as well as the most
piercing and startling sounds could pro-
duce with my own voice, without effect.
At the same time l by no means would
infer from this that they are really deaf.
though it certainly seems that their range
of hearing is very different from ours.
We know that certain allied insects pro-
duce noise by rubbing one of their alb
dominal rings against another. Landois
is OF opinion that ants also make sounds
in the same way, though these sounds are
inaudible 10 US. Our range is, however,
after all, very limited, ana the universe is
probably full of music which we cannot
perceive. There are, moreover in the
antennG of ants certain curious organs
which may perhaps be OF an auditory
character. There are from ten to dozen
in the terminal segment of Ldsius fauuS
the small, meadow ant, and indeed in
most of the species which | have exam
ned, and one or two in each OF the short
intermediate segments. These organs
consist of three parts: A small spherical
cup opening to the outside, long, mar
row tube, and hollow body shaped like
an elongated clock-weight. They may
serve to increase the resonance of sounds,
acting, in fact, to use the words of Prof
Tyndall. who was good enough to look at
them with me, like microscopic stetho-
scopes. The organs OF vision are In
most ants very complex and conspicuous.
There are generally three eyes arranged
in triangle on the top of their heads, and
on each side II large compound eye con-
tanning sometimes more than two thou
sand facets between them. Nevertheless
the sight of ants does not seem to be very
good. In order to test how far ants are
guided by vision made the following ex-
periments. placed a common lead pen
ell on board, fastening it upright, so as
to serve as landmark. AT the base |
then placed glass containing food, and
then put Il. niger to the food when she
knew her way from the glass to the nest
and back again perfectly well, she went
quite straight backward and forward. i
then took an opportunity when the ant
was on the glass, and moved the glass
with the ant on it about three inches.
Now, under such circumstances. if she had
been much guided by sight, she could not
of course have had any difficulty in find
ing her way 10 the nest. As matter of
fact however, she was entirely at sea,
and after wandering about for some time,
got back to the nest by another and very
roundabout route. then again varied
the experiment as follows: / placed the
food in small china cup on the top OF
the pencil, which thus formed column
seven and half inches high. When the
ant once knew her way, she went very
straight to and from the nest, This puz-
zled her very much; she went over and
over the spot where the pencil had pre-
viously stood, retraced her steps several
times almost to the nest, and then returned
along the old line, showing great perse-
vernace, if not much power Of vision.
then moved the pencil six inches. She
found the pencil at last, but only after
many meanderings. | then repeated the
observation on the three other ants, with
the same result the second was seven
minutes before she found the pencil. and
at last seemed TO do so accidentally; the
third actually wandered about for no less
than half an hour, returning up the paper
bridge several tmes.-Sir John Lubbock
IN tie Fortaightiy Reriew.