The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-05-26
The Communicative Ant.

1AO 0hes
THE following is from a paper by Sir
John Lubbock: | selected a specimen
of Alta testGceo-pilosd, belonging to
nest which had brought back with me /
from Algeria. She was out hunting,
about six feet from home, and l placed /
before her large dead bluebottle fly, !
which she at once began to drag to the /
nest. 1 then pinned the fly to piece /
of cork, in small box, so that no ant /
could see the fly until she had climbed /
up the side of the box. The ant strug- /
gled, of course in vain, to move the fly. /
She pulled first in one direction and then /
in another, but, finding her efforts fruit |
less, she at length started off back to the /
nest empty-handed. At this time there
were no ants coming out of the nest.
Probably there were some few others out
hunting, but for at least quarter OF an
hour no ant had left the nest. My ant
entered the nest, but did not remain
there; in less than minute she emerged.
accompanied by seven friends. L never
saw so many come out of that nest be-
fore. In her excitement the first ant
soon distanced her companions, who
took the matter with much sang-frOid,
and had all the appearance of having
come out reluctantly, or as if they had
been asleep and were only half awake.
The first ant ran on ahead, going straight
to the fiy. The others followed slowly
and with many meanderings; so slowly,
indeed, that for twenty minutes the first
ant was alone at the fly, trying in every
way to move it. Finding this still i'm
possible, she again returned to the nest,
not CHANGING to meet any of her friends
by the way. Again she emerged in less
than a minute with eight friends, and
hurried on to the fly. They were
even less energetic than the first party;
and when they found they had lost sight
of their guide, they one and all returned
to the nest. In the meantime, several
of the first detachment had found the
fly, and one of them succeeded in de-
taching leg, with which she returned
in triumph to the nest, coming out
again directly with four or five compan-
ions. These latter, with one exception,
soon gave up the chase and returned to
the nest.
do not think SO much of this last
case, because, as the ant carried in
substantial piece of booty in the shape
of the fly's leg, it is not surprising that
her friends should some of them accom-
pany her on her return; but surely the
other two cases indicate distinct power
of communication Lest, however, it
should be supposed that the result was
accidental, determined to try it again.
Accordingly, on the following day, L
put another large dead fly before an ant
! belonging to the same nest, pinning it to
! a piece of cork as before. After trying
in vain for ten minutes to move the fly,
my ant started off home. At that time
: could could only see two other ants OF
that species outside the nest. Yet in a
few seconds, considerably less than a
minute, she emerged with no less than
twelve friends. AS in the previous case,
she ran on ahead, and they followed
: slowly and by no means directly, taking,
e in fact, nearly half an hour to reach the
I fly. The first ant, after vainly laboring
for about a quarter of an hour to I2ove
the fly, started off again to the nest
: Meeting one of her friends on the way
: she talked with her little, then con.
y tinued toward the nest, but after going
about foot, changed her mind
% and returned with her friend tC
r during which two or three
}. other ants came up, one of them de
. tached leg, which she carried off tc
the nest, coming out again almost i'm
e mediately with six friends, one OF
e whom, curiously enough, seemed tc
e lead the way, tracing it, presume, b!
n scent. 1 then removed the pin, anC
y they carried off the fly in triumph
= Again, on June Is, another ant belong
i ing to the same nest had found a deaC
spider, about the same distance from
e the nest. l pinned down the spider a
il before. The ant did all in her power Il
move it; but after trying for twelv'
70 minutes she went off to the nest. Fo
~ q quarter of an hour no other ant hat
3. come out, but in some seconds she cam
"a out again with ten companions. AS il
# the preceding case, they followed yer,
leisurely. She ran on ahead and worke'
I'D at the spider for ten minutes, when, a
sr none of her friends had arrived to he
re assistance, though they were WANDERING
or about evidently in search of something
=, she started back home again. In three
" quarters of minute after enterin
'e the nest she reappeared, this time wit
a. fifteen friends, who came on somewha
at more rapidly than the preceding batch
re though still but slowly. By degrees
= however, they all came up, and afte
= more persevering efforts carried off th
ne spider piecemeal. On July tried th
be same experiment with soldier {
D. PheidOle naegacepkalG. She pulled s
ne the fly for no less than fifty minutes
&c. after which she went to the nest an
A. brought five friends, exactly as the Att