, 1877-12-02

from weeds, and guarded against maraudinr IN.
aects. When ma.nre, the crop is reaped aud tn.
seeds carried into the nest II they are fnnnd
to be too damp they are carefully carried out l.;d
in the sunshine till Sufficiently dry. and than
housed again. This formation OF plot Of cleared
land-or, as Dr.. L1ScEcrM not very happily term,
it, pAyensent-is critical point in the career -,
young community. Any Older and la,,er rt.
which may lie within some dfty or sixty nact,
looks upon the step ~ casHs 6elli, and at oors
marches Its armies to the attack. After combat,
which may be prolonged for dayr, Providence AZ,
clares in favor Of the largest batalions, and N.
less numerous community il exterminated. achtny
literally to the Inst ant. Where colony Is unmo.
Tested 1t increases rapidly In population, and IN.
dertakes to lay out roala: ont OF these, from tvo
to three inches in width, has been traced to dt.
tance Of 100 yards from the city.
Other Instances of the exhibition of nnr
sual intelligence by ants are Gaaoisa m
same article:
3Ir. Belt, in his tsNaturallst in Ntcar,onar
{paXe 27}, gi7es the following accoan. Of the mso
ner in which the EeitoAs. foraylng aats OF ceo.
trail and Sonth America, deal with ,vha. ,aav M
called engineering difficulties: 81 once saw !: sid.
column trying to pass along a crumbling, uaar,1
perpendicular slope. They would have got ye,.
en-, bnt number ha7ing secured their hol
and reachin. 10 each other remained III.
tionasy, and over them the main column,
passed. Another time they were crossing q wa,sr.
course along 4 small branch, not thicker thana
gooee- quill. They wilened this branch to thru
times Its natural width, Dy number Of ants cling.
inr TO it and to each other each side over wh,rh
the column passed three or four deep; whereas. a.
cept for this cxpedient, they would have had Ia
pass over in single dle, and treble the time voun
have been consumed"
Again, in Eciton feqioafs, according to VI,
BATES, waen digging mines to gec st aooth.,
species OF ant whose nests they were attacking til.
workers were divided into parties, lone set ar.
cuvatins aad another set carrying away the grains
OF earth. When the sLafts became rather deem TN
mining parties had to climb up the sides each tins
they wished to cast out pellet of earth but their
work was l1ghtened foz them by comrades who sta-
toned themselves ut the mouth OF the shaft and
relieved them OF their burdens, carrying the pa,.
t,clcs, with appearance Of foresight which uui.a
staggered me, a sufficient distance from the edye
OF the hole to prevent them from rolling in again"
The language of ants is supposed to be
one Of signs, or to depend chiefly upon
feeling. 1t is not believe that they emit
sounds audible to our ears. Their principal
organs Of speech are said to be the antennm.
Another suggestion is that their Language
and that Of all social insects may depend, IN
part at least, upon the production and reco2.
nition of odors. Their sense OF smell il
certainly developed in wonderful degree.
Collectors Of kpbioptera are well aware
that, if virgin fomnle moth of car
tain species is inclosed in q boz,
males Of the same species will make theiz
appearance from distances which may be
pronounced, relatively speaking, prodig-
ious." Some means Of expressing desires
there must be; for it is known that they
often form in line of march and move with
the promptituae and precision of military
columns. They. have sometimes sent out
parties in numbers proportional to the work
to be done. Two heaps Of lar7a being
made Of unequal size, it was observed that
the number Of ants sent to the larger
heap was double that sent to the smaller.
These are but single instances where many
might be ndduced. The whole species in
intelligence, thrift, and sound economical
science surpasses many races OF man !;
and the study Of the swarming life shown
in the ant-hill may perhaps serve to teach
that modest stiffness aud humility than
which there is nothing more becomes man.