The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-03-18

. year and nine months 1t was found
that they knew one another, and were
perfectly friendly. 1t had been sup
posed that this recognition was accom-
plished by password or sign, but this
superstition Sir John Lubbock has in
geniously disproved:
ITO test this made some insensible.
First tried chloroform, but this was
fatal to them; and as therefore they
were practically dead, did not consider
the test satisfactory. / decided there
fore to intoxicate them. This was less
easy than had expected None of my
ants would voluntarily degrade them
selves by getting drunk However, I
got over the difficulty by putting them
into whisky for few moments took
fifty specimens, twenty-five from one
nest and twenty-five from another,
made them dead drunk, marked each
with spot of paint and put them on
q table close to where other ants from
one of the nests were feeding. The
table was surrounded, as usual. with
a moat of water to prevent them from
straying. The ants which were feeding
soon noticed those which had made
drunk. They seemed quite astonished
to find their comrades in such a dis
graceful condition, and as much at
loss to know what to do with their
drunkards as we are. After awhile,
however, to cut my story short, they
carried them all away; the strangers
they took to the edge of the moat and
41 ia
bore their friends home into the nest,
where by degrees they slept off the
effects of the spirits. Thus it is evil
dent that they know their friends even
when incapable of giving any sign or
password"
This little experiment proves that
ants help comrades in distress. If a
wolf or rock is injured its comrades are
said to drive it away or to kill it But
in one of Sir John Lubbock's nests an
ant, in emerging from her chrysalis
skin, injured her legs so much that she
was helpless For three months this
ant was carefully tended by the other
ants. In another case an ant had in
jured her antenn@ For some days she
did not leave her nest. Then she went
out and a stranger ant attacked her.
In separating them the injured insect
was seriously hurt and lay helples.ly
on her side. Several ants passed aud
took no notice. Presently one came up
who carefully examined her with her
antenne, and then carried her off ten
derby to her nest
How far can ants communicate? Can
an ant who has found food, for exam
pie, go home and send others to it, or
must she bring them? Here is a test
experine Mt:
'One cold day my ants were almost
all in their nests. One only was out
hunting, and about six feet from home.
took dead blue bottle fly, pinned it
on to a piece of cork and put it down
just in front of her. She at once tried
to carry off the fly, but to her surprise
found it immovable. She tugged and
tugged, first one way and then another
for almost twenty minutes, and then
went straight off to the nest During
that time not single ant had come
out; in fact she was the only ant of that
nest out at the time. She went
straight in, but in a few seconds-less
than half minute-came out again
with no less than twelve friends, who
trooped off with her, and eventually
tore up the dead fly, carrying it off in
triumph. Now the first ant took moth
ing home with her; she must there
fore, somehow have made her friends
understand she had found some food,
and wanted them to come and help her
to secure it. In all such cases, how
ever, SO far as my experience goes, the
ants brought their friends; and some of
News