The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-08-25

:
one, and then seemed to blunder into
No. by accident at last.
The ants made regular trips, feeding
usually about six or eight minutes, and
then disappearing from sight for
period of from twelve to twenty minutes,
and sometimes longer; for in one in
stance the ant named c remained away
thirty-five minutes.
The ants possessing the secret about
the sugar evidently told other ants, for
others came directly to the hotel, and
for the most part entered the right
door without making any mistake. One
ant wandered all over the walls, and
finally found his way into room No. s
by the opening at the top.
When the ants departed they all went
out by the door, except one, and he
climbed over the wall and made his exit
in that way. The ants came and went
with considerable regularity, and GER
tainly displayed good deal of industry
in gathering food.
Before evening fifteen or more were
visiting the hotel for food, but as | had
no means of placing distinct marks on
so many, or keeping record of their
performances, | removed the structure
and gave up my investigations for the
day.
| could not help pausing for few
moments to observe the actions of the
little creatures when they should miss
the hotel. One after another would
come and walk about the spot where
the hotel had been, and appear to give
up the search. for food very reluctantly.
The next afternoon [ set the ants
hotel out as on the previous day, and
in the same spot. During the first half
hour no ants approached it, though 1
had placed the food as before in room
No. s. DESTROYS of beginning my OBJ
servations, procured one of the brown
ants from the neighborhood of the nest
and placed him near the food. The
ant seemed to eat with much pleasure,
and after remaining seven minutes,
went out by the door and walked away
in the direction of the nest. had pro-
vided the means of marking a consider
able number of ants, and marked this
one and named him E.
This ant was absent nearly fifteen
minutes, and then returned alone, and
kept on carrying away food for more
than an hour, during which time no
other ant appeared at the hotel.
This course. of action led me to be-
lieve that whereas most ants commune
cate good news readily and cheerfully,
there are individual ants like some
human beings who, when they discover
something that might benefit their fell
lows, keep the knowledge to them
selves in the most selfish way.
As this ant E was returning from the
nest, and had arrived at a point near
the hotel he met another, that will
designate as F, and they put their heads
together and touched dntenn9. I'm
mediately F followed E to the table
where the food was, and they both
commenced to feed.
One thing seemed clear to me, and
that was that this ant, E, had said
nothing to any one in the nest about
the food, and probably would not have
spoken to F had not they met by &C
cident as they did, so near the hotel.
The ant F, l conjectured, was not
much given to the habit of keeping
things to himself, for soon after he
went to the nest, three other ants came
straight to the hotel, and after trying
several wrong doors that led into empty
rooms, they went into No. s and found
the food.
The news of the finding of the food
seemed to spread rapidly, for large
number of ants soon appeared upon the
scene, and among the number, A, B
and G.
1t is enough to say here, perhaps,
that l marked and recorded the actions
OF a large number of ants, and was
surprised at their intelligence and in
dustry.
| had procured piece of glass to be
used in closing the top of room No. s,
and as 1 perceived one of the ants try
ing to enter this room by climbing over
the wall, | attempted to close the open
ing and thus keep the ant out; but I'M
fortunately he got between the wood
and the glass and was thereby crushed,
but not Killed.
Wounded and struggling as he was,
/ dropped him on the ground in front
of an ant who was Just returning from
the nest. The wounded ant was in
spected by his companion, who i'm
mediately started for the nest without
pausing to take any food. Soon the
ant returned with two others, who be-
gan to carry their wounded fellow in
the direction of the nest.
Did space permit, / could explain
how the labor of the ants is divided,
and how certain individuals who form
the army, or do guard-duty, never per-
form any of the labor of procuring food.
Once, accidentally, | put my foot on
one of the ants and killed it. | then
took the dead ant and placed it in the
track of the living ants, in order to
notice what they would do when they
found the body of their dead com
panion
The ant named F came along, and
finding the dead ant, seemed to grasp
it by the mouth, and holding it clear of
the ground, started in the direction of
the nest; but f got so often entangled
in the grass, and met with so many
obstacles to its progress, that it was
often obliged to mount small objects,
and drag the dead ant up after it. By
this irregular way of journeying, F lost
his reckoning and made large circle,
and came back to the hotel again, still
carrying the dead ant, but seemingly