Evening star., 1898-04-22
PECULIARITIES OF ANTS.
Many Indications Of, Their Intelll-
gence and Power of Reasoning.

Many Indications Of Their IntellI-
gence and Power of Reasoning.
From the st. Louis Globe -Dsnecrfst
Sir John Lubbock took twelve ants, six
from each of two different colonies. and
made them drunk: then they were all put
back into one of the colonies.o The ants in
spected them, carried away their compan-
ions, and took care Of them until they re-
covered, while the foreigners were dropped
into the water A largej dead fly was put
On the table, and one ant Immediately went
over and pulled at it, but found himself un-
able to move 1t. He then went away, and
speedily returned with 8hree companions.
and by their united efforts the fly car
red away. 4'fs-J
1t has long been known, that some species
of ants are in the habit Of acting in exactly
the same manner as man in Keeping insect
cows for the sake of the milk they supply
The ordinary green fly, or aphides is to the
ant what the COW is TO man. This green
fly is capable of cNuding from two nipple
like projections a sort of liquid gum, of
which ants are extremely fond. Not only
| DO they lick up the honeydew which falls
| from the aphides, but they milk them ex-
actly as a dairymaid miks COW. With
| their antennae the ants stroke the tubercles
OF the aphideS and in few seconds drop
| of pellucid liquid appears at the extremity.
| This is the honeydew, and it is at once
| licked up by the ant, which thus proceeds
| from aphis TO aphis until its hunger Is sat
| isficd. Ants capture and carry off aphides,
| keep them in captivity, carefully feeding
| and caring for them for the sake of their
honeydew.
But these English ants are surpassed b.
| their Mexican cousins, who utilize the
| bodies of some of their kindred living
| storehouses. These pouch-ants feed largely
| Upon honey, which they gather and then
store in the living bodies of members of
| their own kind. Those ants selected to act
| the part of storehouses are first carefully
| bitten in such a manner as to put stop
| to the process of digestion, and then are
| fed with as much honey as their bodies
will contain BY this means their bodies
! will swell out until they lose all semblance
| of their natural form, and these living
| honey pots look like big white currants
| with Il head and set of legs. The abdomen
| becomes spherical, smooth and SO transpar-
| ent that the honey can be seen within 1t
is quite alright and SO preserves the fra
| GRANGE of the honey. When an ant re-
| CURES any It gently pats and strokes the
| honey ant, which then gives of its store.
| The agricultural ant of Texas not only
| stores up grain for use in winter, but also
soWS seed of the particular grass 1t wishes
| to gather A circular patch of ground about
foot in width in the immediate neigh
| borhood of the nest, is cleared of all vege-
| tation, loose stones, etc. Early in Novem-
| ber this piece of ground is sown by the
ants, and kept clear Of weeds as they ap-
pear. In the following June the seeds are
ripe, and after they have been garnered
the stubble is cut-bitten by the teeth-cIose
to the ground and carried away after
which the ground is prepared for the sue
ceeding crop.
After reading the above incidents, to
which could be added others too numerous
to mention. who will say that the ants arc
rot actuated by reason IN addition to in
stinct?