The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-07-02

over several uuCuns In az Rnta most while as
wo know. thuiO IL never moro than one auoon
mother in hivo In addition TO tho ordinary
workers. Their" IL. in acino spccca.
third form Of female whose function In certain
cases is to serve as animate honey jars and in
others. apparently. US professional soldiers. In
two species mentioned by the author II eccms
evident that industrial and military duties have
been so completely differentiated as 10 produce
essential differences in the physical type.
Thus it has been observed that when II breach
was made In one OF their covered ways. tho small
workers applied themselves TO the repairing OF
the damage. while the large-hcadod ones issued
forth in IA menacing manner. roaring them
solves up. and threatening with their Jaws. Sir
John Lubbock sces reason for thinking that
oven among ordinary workers tho principle Of
the division Of labor is carried out to some ex-
tent During the winter for instance. when
little food Is required, certain ants are regularly
told of as foragcrs to bring In tho day 8 sup
ply. 1t was pointed out some time ago
by NJ. Forel that very young ants devote
themselves ut first to the care OF the larvp
and pupn. and that they take no share in the
defence OF the nest or in the hunt for pro-
visions until they are some days old.
In industry. ants are not surpassed even
by bees and wasps. They work all day
and in warm weather. II need be. even at night
too. The author once watched an ant from @
In the morning till quarter to 10 at night. and
found that she worked during the whole Of that
time without intermsslon. The food of the
species OF ants observed by Sir John Lubbock
consists of insects OF honeydew. and fruit;
indeed. scarcely any animal or sweet substance
comes amiss to them. None Of our northern
ants store up grain. n fact which provoked at
ono time some discussion touching tho we'll
known Of Solomon. II is hOwnypr
q well established fact that more than one spe-
cies Of southern ants do collect seeds OF various
kinds. Indeed. the quantity OF grain thus stored
up is sometimes so considerable that In the
Mischna rules are laid down with reference to 1t.
and various commentators. including the cee-
brated Maimonides have discussed at length
the question whether such grain belonged to the
owner Of the land or might be taken by cleaners.
Sykes In his account of an Indian ant, appears
to have been the first OF modern scientific
authors to confirm Solomon's assertion. He
says that species named by him collects large
stores of grass seeds. on which it subsists from
February to October. On one occasion he saw
the ants bringing up their stores of grain to
dry them after thunder storm. an observa-
ton which has since been confirmed by other
naturalists. 1t Is not yet clear in what manner
the ants prevent the harvested grains from
terminating. One observer AYERS that the
ants gnaw of the radicle. while another found
that IL the ants were prevented from entering
the granarics the seeds began to sprout show
ing that in that case the power of termination
was not destroyed
1t has long been known that ants derive a
very important part of their sustcnance from
the sweet juice eXcreted by aphides. Tho lat
ter insects. as LinnHus pointed out long ago.
are. in the strictest sense tho cows of the ants.
The little yellow ant keeps fiocks and herds OF
the root-feeding aphidcs. The ants may be
said literally to milk their domestic animals.
for. as Darwin has shown. the aphides gen.
orally retain their succharine secretion until
the ants are ready to receive it, The ants
stroke and caress the aphides with their
antennp precisely as the mikmaid's fingers
press the udders OF a COW, and the aphides
then emit the sweet secretion. As the honey
Of the aphdes is more or less sticky. 1t is prob
ably an advantage TO the insect that it should
be removed. Nor is this the only service which
the ants render to them; they protect them
from the attacks OF enemies. and even build
cowshcds of earth over them. The yellow
ants collect the root-fccding species in
their nests. and tend them rs carefully
rs their own young. Moreover. they not
only watch over the mature aphidos which are
useful. but the authors experiments prove
that they also guard the eggs of the aphides
which until they come to maturity are quite
useless. Thus. although English ants may not
lay up food for the winter. they do more.
for they keep during six months tho eggs
which will enable them to procure food during
the following summer. a proof of prudence
which Sir John Lubbock pronounces uneXam-
pied in the animal kingdom. We should add
that other tame insects are harbored in ant
nests for what purpose Is ~ yet uncertain. al
though the author seems inclined TO think
that they aro kept As pets. One tame insect in
particular which is very much smaller than
tho ant. follows its hosts when they change
their nest. running about among them and be-
tween their logs. tapping them inquisitively
with their antCnnm and even sometimes climb
ing on to their backs ~ If for ride. They al
most seem TO be tho dogs or. perhaps. the cats.
of the ants.
The most interesting topic discussed in this
volume is the institution Of slavery among ants.
whose existence was first made known by
Huber. Sir John Lubbock imagnes that he
can trace the effect OF slavery upon the char
acter and social economy OF ants. phases cor
responding TO the principal steps in the history
OF its effect upon human society. We must
bear in mind that slavekcoping is by no means
universal among ants. but has thus far been
observed only among few genera. The
to offor in their social types every graduation
from awless violence to contemplate parast-
ism. Thus the FJrDlicd sa,lgulied. which Sir
John Lubbock conjectures has taken to slave
making ut n comparatively recent date, has
not as yet boon materially affected. These
ants are aided by their slaves in labor and
especially in the ordinary household duties.
but they have not themselves lost the instinct
of working. They are perfectly able to provide
for themselves. and carry on a nest il neces-
snry. without slave labor. On the other hand.
I0tvrgIS ruJeScens already illustrates tho low
ering tendency OF slavery, These ants have lost
their knowledge OF tho Industrial arts, their
natural affection for their, young. and even
bold and powerful marauders, and tho brayest
Of their race. II y single individual finds hor-
self surrounded by enemies she never at
tompts to fly. as any other ant would. but
translixes her opponents one atter an
other. sPrlngng right and left with
nv numbcrs Vat wbe su'eu cm
munity changes its nest the mietrosses. who.
in Wow of their warlkc temper. are properly
termed AmaHonS. are borne from one home to
another on the backs OF their slaves. and they
will starye in the midst OF plenty rather than
pat food In their own mouths. In ST0HgyOg-
ndthuS. the enervatng influence of slavery has
gone further. and told even on the bodily
strength. These ants are no longer able to cap
ture their slaves In fair and open warfare Still