The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-06-14
Ire ANTS EOLR1S2


In searching for the missing link nat
uralists would appear in their past inves-
LEGATIONS to have been thrown off on
false scent by considering chiefly the ana
too1ical resemblances between man and
the lower animals, rather than the moral
and intellectual rank of the animals Sc
lected as the probable or possible pro-
genltors of our race. The monkeys pre-
sent such strong physical resemblances to
men that the fact was overlooked that
they are not structurally the most highly
organised of mammalian forms. Neither
do they surpass in intelligence the horse
the dog, or the elephant But the recent
stables of such men as Lubbock, Forel,
and McCook on Ants have awakened us
TO realisation of the fact that these in
tlnltlsimal little creatures which we see
. running about our pavements, while they
are widely removed from us in size and
material structure, present a far more
startling propinquity in the higher realm
Of MIND than any of the great beasts of the
1eld. A writer in the Westminster Re
01eV makes the astonishing declaration
ABOUT them that in view of the facts re-
Gently ascertained about them, "we are
constrained to admit that their intelli-
gence is not only of high order, but GER
family superior to that of any of the
higher mammalia, and in some respects
superior eUe7a to the IoaVer races of man.
End, who have not yet attained to the
pastoral and. agricultural stage of civil
sation, and whose architecture, mining
and engineering, cannot be compared to
that of the ants" This writer land we
think Darwin and Lubbock agree with
HIM regards the Ants as not only form
ing society of intelligent creatures, but
as having reached the stage of civihSa-
tgOn The brain of the ant" says OAR
WIN, sis one of the most marvellous atoms
OF matter in the world, perhaps more mar
vellous than the brain of man" Sir
John Lubbock, referring to the numer-
ols minute beetles found in the houses of
the ants, and which appear to be of no
absolute use to them, suggests that "they
may perhaps be domestic pets, or, he
hints, even objects Of oOorship'
These little beings, according to this
last observer, live about FIVE or six years,
which is very long life for SO minute an
animal and, in proportion, their young
require as long time to reach maturity
as the human race.
In volumes X. to XIV. of the Pro
oeedings Of the Linnean Society may be
found series of Papers on this subject
by Sir John Lubbock. The title of M.
Forel's work is Les F5arnais de la Suisse.
That of Mr. McCook is "The Natural
History of the Agricultural Ants of
Texas"
Every community of ants is divided
into nurses devoted to the rearing and
education of the young; architects,
liners, and builders; guards and war
riors; and foragers.
No sooner is an egg laid by the Queen
Mother than nurse seizes it and bears
il off to chamber especially prepared
beforehand to receive it, where the fos
ter mother watches and never leaves it,
carrying it alternately to the upper and
lower stories, in order that it may be
Kept at the proper temperature. When
rne newborn babe appears in the larval
torm, it receives its food from the hands
d its faithful attendant. Should the
nest be disturbed the first care of the
workers is to seize the little silken webs
il which the young are preserved, and
bear them off to place Of safety. When
the little ant finally takes its normal
shape, and enters fairly upon the theatre
Q life, the. nurse i1structs it in household |