Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-08
ANTS HAVE 4 LANGUAGE.
Evidences That the Tiny Insects toh-
municatc With Each other.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
Sir John Lubbock, as we'll as many other
scientists has of course studied the ant
but il has been given to frenchnlai' d
NJ Ferel to make discovery as reSar"S
ants that proves them to be possessed Oh
an intelligence far greater than has peeh
hitherto supposed.
- And this discovery is nothing more or ies9
than that ants are capable of producing
sounds Ineligible to their fellows ana even
audible to our ears-in other WORDS That
they converse with one another
The way NJ Ferel proved this was as fol-
lows ,,
He made a glass funnel. one end smaller
than the other. which he placed the small
end downward, in the center OF saut!e VI
plain glass some six inches VIDE Htlins
closely enough to prevent the httle insects
from crawling out underneath. ,.
He then took number of ants in hunch
about the size OF an ordinary morse cheSt-
nut. free from any foreign substances, and,
lifting up the funnel, dropped the cluster OIL
insects inside
wilderment. and before any of them could
reach the edge of the glass the experiment
er covered it with another square. similar
to the one already in use, and which had
been surrounded a short distance from us
edge by rim of putty.
This effectually confined the little insects
and prevented their being crushed
The two plates of glass were then pressed
together to within. approximately. the thick
ness of an ants body, but closer on one
side than on the other. as to hold some
fast and incapable of moving, while others
could move about IN their narrow prison
where they liked
on applying this box of ants to the ear,
as though It had been watch, NJ Fcrei
was astonished to hear a regular and con-
tinuous buZZing noise. somewhat similar 10
the sound made by water when boiling in
an open vessel, though sometimes a higher
note would be struck by one or another of
the ants.
yealed MANY interesting facts The free
ants We're seen to advance to the sides or
Cd the ones that could not move. and to en-
deavOr with all their strength to release
the prisoners II was then that the sounds
made by the ants became louder and more
stringent 1t was evident that these sounds
conveyed some meaning. for palpabie dif-
ference was To be found in the minute Ut
terances. which must have been intelliglble
to the THY CaptlVeS.
Then came the problem How was the
sound made? NJ Ferel proceeded to at
once make minute investigations, and sub
nlitted live ants TO the scrutiny of very
powerful microscope.
Here again, an interesting discovery was
in store for the Investigator. The sides OF
the little insects We're found to be in one
particular place rough and scaly, resem
bing-though. of course, on a tiny scale
the teeth of a saw. 1t was by rubbing thi.
that the ant made the sound that had re
waried the scientists research.
NJ Ferel then took a couple of ants ant
confined them in the glass box already dc
scribed. imprsoning the one and giving th'
other liberty TO move.
The ant that had free of his limbs
became at once intensely excited. 1t rush
ed about making what must have been
taking into consideration the comparative
size of man and an anita terrible noise
The modulations of the insects mode of eX
preston We're plainly heard by the sci=n
fist.
Then, having apparently exhausted an eN
ce-dingly copiOus vocabulary. the ant Il
despair of Gberating its companion. dashed
il and killed it This evidently I,
the insect the only course left open.