Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-28
The Senses Of Ants.

That ants can talk with each other in any
proper sense of the term seems improbable. 1t
would seem, for example, that one ant has no
power to tell another where a store OF food is
to be found; she may take her friends to the
place, or they may find their way by the smell
of her track, but that is about all. Their sense
of smell is very powerful, and no doubt it is by
this they mainly recognize their friends, the
denizens of the same nest Sir John Lubbock
made many crucial experiments on this point.
experiments that cannot leave shadow OF
doubt as to the power the ants have Of distin-
gushing between friends and strangers: and
with them every stranger is an enemy, at whom
their first impulse is to leave arr a brick"
The evidence that ants have a sense of hearing
Is by no means satisfactory; if they have it
must be very different from that of ours though
SirJohn seems inclined to believe that they NAV
may be able to perceive sounds below or above
the reach of the human organ.
That this is the case with their sight there
can be no doubt from the beautiful-eXperimen
which Sir John has carried out That they can
see the colors beyond the violet end of the spec
trum. colors which human beings have never
seen, but which we know to exist from their
chemical action, he has clearly proved. Every
one knows how exquisite is the structure of an
insects eye; ants at least seems to have a
double optical system, the Ocellus, q sort of
cyclopean eye in the center of the head. and the
u
thousand facets. What the special function of
each set is we cannot say; but that the world as
seen through the eyes of an ant presents very
different aspect from that which it does to the
simple binocnlar of man, Sir Johns experiments
have made very clear. Socially and economically
there are many differences between various kinds
OF ants, as there are between different races
OF men. Sir John believes he has detected the
degrading influence of slavery among those ants
addicted to what we call the inhuman practice
no fhn clio H.. -
be utterly helpless and entirely dependent for
everything on their so-called slaves but really
their masters; they Cannot even move without
being carried. Others again, which probably
have only recently begun the degrading prac-
tiee, are not so degenerate, and really them
selves work as well as their slaves. Among
ants, as among men, there would seem to be
different stages of civilization; ''there seem to
be three principal types offering curious ANAL
ogy TO the three great phases-the hunting pas
tofai, and agricultural stages-in the history of
human development" So among the same
community there seem to be great differences of
social morality; among ants, as among men,
there are priests, Leyites, and good Samaritans.
though it must be said that ants are far more
attentive to the sick and wounded than bees.
who rather suffer from Sir Johns inyestipa-
tions.
We are compelled from the circumscribed
range OF our experience to refer to the donos
OF these tiny creatures in terms of our own or
ganization. There is thus an anthropomorph-
ism downward as we'll as upward and both are
probably wide of the reality; though after all,
unless our senses and our reasoning powers are
entirely misleading. we cannot but ascribe to
our humble relations, with whom Sir John Lub-
book has made Us Dwell acquainted, some little
share OF that faculty which has enabled us to
build our fleets, rear our cathedrals. and sub
due the most potent forces of nature to our
service. when we consider the habits of ants
their social organization, their large commune
ties, and elaborate habitations; their roadways.