The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-23
Intelligence of Ants.
Mr. George j. Romanes' paper in the Nineteenth
Century,

another as 1rlendS, Whlle an ant introduced
from another nest, even though it be an ant
of the same species, is known at once to be a
foreigner, and is usually maltreated or put to
death. Huber found that when he removed
an ant from a nest and kept it away from its
companions for period of four months, it was
still recognized as friend, and caressed by its
previous fellow citizens after the manner in
which ants show friendship, viz: by stroking
antenn@. Sir John Lubbock, after repeating
and fully confirming these observations, extern
ded as follows:
He first tried prolonging the period Of sepa-
ration beyond four months, and found that it
might be made more than three times as long
without the ants forgetting their absent friend.
Thinking that this fact could only be explained
either by all the ants knowing each others
personal appearance, or by their all having
distinctive smell peculiar to each nest, or by
their all having sign, like password, differ
ing in different nests, Sir John tried separat-
ing some ants from nest while still in the
condition of Larvae, and, when they emerged
as perfect insects, transferring them back to
the nest from which they had been taken as
larvae. OF course the ants in the nest could
never have seen those which had been re-
moved, for a larval ant is as unlike the mature
insect as a caterpillar is unlike a butterfly;
neither can it be supposed that the larve, thus
kept away from the nest, should retain. when
hatched out as perfect insects, any smell be-
longing to their parent nest nor lastly, is Ii
reasonable to imagine that the animals, while
still in the condition Of larval grubs. can have
been taught any gesture or sign used as pass
word by the matured animals. Yet, although
all these possible hvpotheses seem to be thus
fully excluded by the conditions Of the expert
ment, the result showed unequivocally that
the ants all recognized their transformed laryae
as native born members Of their community.
Next, therefore, Sir John Lubbock tried d.
viding nest into two parts before the queen
ants had become pregnant. Seven months af-
ter the division the queens laid their eggs, and
five months later these eggs had developed in
to perfect insects. He then transferred some
ofthese young ants from the division of the
nest in which they had been born to the divis-
ion in which they had never been, even in the
state OF she egg. Yet these ants also were re-
ceived as friends, in marked contrast to the re-
ception accorded to ants from any other nest.
1t therefore seems to be blood relationship that
ants are able, in some way that is as yet wholly
inexplicable, to recognize. 1t ought however,
to be remembered in this connection that in an
experiment made by Forel on slave making
ants, it was proved that they almost instanta-
neously recognized their own slaves from other
slaves had been kept away from the nest for
period of four months.
NURSING
This may appropriately be considered in con-
nection with the emotions, as it seems to imply
something akin to maternal affection. The
eggs will not develop into Larvae unless nursed,
and the nursing is effected by licking the sur
face OF the eggs, which under the influence OF
this process increase in size or grow. In about
fortnight-during which time the workers
carry the eggs from higher to lower levels Of
the nest, and vice versa, according to the cir
are hatched out, and require no less careful
nursing than the eggs The workers feed
them by placing mouths together-the larvB
stretching out their heads to receive the nour-
ishment after the manner of young birds.
When fully grown the larvae spin cocoons and
then pup@, or the "ants' eggs" of the pheasant
rearers. These require no food, but still need
incessant attention with reference to warmth,
moisture and cleanliness When the time ar
rives for their emergences as perfect insects,
the workers assist them to get out Of their lar
val cases by biting the walls of the latter.
When it emerges the newly-born ant is en-
closed in thin membrane like shirt, which
has to be pulled off. when we see' says
Buchner, chow neatly and gently this is done,
and how the young creature is then washed,
brushed and fed, we are involuntarily remind
ed Of the nursing of human babies" The
young ants are then educated. They are led
tic duties. Later on they learn to distinguish
between friends and foes; and when an ants
nest is attacked by foreign ants the young ones
never join in the fight, but confne themselves
to removing the pnp9. That the knowledge
of hereditary enemies is not wholly instructive
is proved by the experiment of Forel, who put
young uneducated ants of three different spec
les into glass case with pup8 of six other
species-all the nine species being naturally
hostile to one another. Yet the young ants
did not quarrel, but worked together to tend
pup9. When the latter Matched out an artif-
cial colony was formed Of a number of natural
ly hostile species, all living together like the
"happy families of the showmen.
KEEPING APHIDEs.
1t is well and generally known that various
species of ants keep aphides, as men keep
milk-cows to supply a nutritious secretion.
Huber first observed this fact, and noticed
the ants collected the eggs of the aphides, and
treated them with as much apparent care as
they treated their own. When these eggs
hatch out, the aphides are usually kept and
fed by the ants. Sometimes the stems and
branches on which they live are encased by
the ants in clay walls, in which doors are left
large enough to admit the ants, but too small
to allow the aphides to escape. The latter are
therefore imprisoned in regular stables. The
sweet secretion is yielded to the ants by Q
process of milking" which consists in the
ants stroking the aphides with their antennB.
Sir John Lubbock has made an interesting
In question, as practiced by certain species of
ant (LasiuS fdutts), which departs in some
what remarkable manner from the habit as
practiced by other species He says: when
my eggs Matched, naturally thought that the
aphides belonged to one of the species usually
found on the roots of plants in the nests Of
Lasius faUus. To my surprise, however, the
young creatures made the best of their way
out of the nest and, indeed, were sometimes
brought out of the nest by the ants them
selves" Subsequent observation showed that
aphides, born from eggs Matched in the ants
nest, left the nest, or were taken from it, as
soon as they were Matched, in order to live up
on a kind of daisy which grew around the
nest. Sir John then made out the whole case
as follows:
Here are aphides, not living in the ants
nests but outside on the leaf stalks of plants.
The eggs are laid early in October on the food
plant of the insect. They are of no direct use
to the ants, yet they are not left where they
are laid, where they would be exposed to the
severity of the weather and to innumerable
dangers, but are brought into their nests by the
ants, and tended by them with the utmost care
through the long winter months until the fol-
lowing March, when the young ones are brought
out and again placed on the young shoots Of
the daisy. This seems to me q most remark
able case OF prudence. Our ants may not per-
haps lay up food for the winter, but they do
more, for they keep during six months the eggs
which will enable them to procure food during
the follwing winter.
Inc Fornlca fhfeScenS assigns larger share
of work than other species to the slaves, which
they capture in much larger numbers to take
it. In this species the masters do no work
whatsoever, unless the capturing of slaves be
regarded as such. Therefore the whole CON-
munity is entirely dependent upon its slaves;
the masters are not able to make their own
nests, to feed their own Larvae, or even to feed
themselves they die of starvation in the midst
of faverite food if slave should not be pres
ent to hand it in proper form. In order to con-
firm this observation Originally due to Huber)
Lespes placed piece Of moistened sugar near
q nest of these slave makers. 1t was lsoon
found by one of the slaves which gorged It,
self and returned. Other slaves then came
out and did likewise. Some of the masters
next came out, and by pulling the legs of the
feeding slaves reminded them that they were
negectng their duty. The slaves tlen imme-
diately began to serve the sugar to their mas
tsrs. Hal they not done so, there is no doubt
they would have been punished, for the mas
ters bite the slaves when displeased with them.
Forel and Darwin have also confirmed these
observations of Huber. Indeed, the structure
of the mouth in Fornica rltfescens is such as to
render self-feeding difficult if not physically
| impossible. Its long and narrow jaws, admi
rably adapted to pierce the head of an enemy,
| do not admit of being used for feeding unless
liquid food is poured into them from the mouth