The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-12-08
HAS HEARD ANTS TALK.
SO Thinks n French Naturalist, II Gives
Ills Reasons for His Belief.

So Thinks a French Naturalist, and Gives
Ills Reasons for Ills Belief.
Chicago Chronicle: Sir John Lub-
book. as well as many other scientists,
has of course studied the ant. but it
has been given to n Frenchman, a M.
F'erel. to make q discovery as regards
ants hat proves them to be possessed
of an intelligence far greater than has
been hitherto supposed.
And this discovery is nothing more
nor less than that ants are capable of
producing sounds Ineligible to their
/ fellows, and even audible to ears
In other words. that they converse
with one another.
The way NJ. Ferel proved this was as
follows:
He made a glass funnel, one end
smaller than the other, which he
placed. the small end downward III the
center of a square of plain glass some
six inches wide, fitting closely enough
to prevent the little insect from crawl
ing out underneath.
He then took a numbe OF ants in a
bunch about the size of an ordinary
horse chestnut, free from n foreign
substances, and. lifting up the funnel.
dropped the cluster OF insects inside.
While the ants were still in a state
of bewilderment, n before any Of
them could reach the edge of the glass,
the eXperimenter covered 1t with an
other square, similar to the n already
in use, which had been surrounded a
short distance from it's edge by q rim
of putty.
This etfectually confined the little in
sects and prevented their being
crushed.
The two plates Of glass were then
pressed together to within. approxi-
! r,n r. ~ tIa tItrlr1aSc rf an nnf'S hnIjS-
but closer on one side than on the
other, so as to hold some fast and in
capable 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 1t had been a watch, NJ.
Ferel was astonishcd to hear a regular
and continuous buzzing noise. some
what similar to 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.
Further study of the box OF prison
crs revealed many interesting facts
The free ants We're seen TO advance tc
the sides of the ones that could no,
move and to endeavor with all theil
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 con
Iveyed some meaning. for a palpabls
: differences was to be found in the min
!. ute u]tterances. which must have beef
: ineligible to the tiny captives.
Then came the problem. How wa:
: the sound made? NJ. Ferel proceeded
to at once make minute investigations
/ and submitted live ants to the scrutin.
r of a very powerful microscope.
Here, again. an interesting discof
cry was in store for the investigator
$ The sides of the little insects wer
found to be In one particular plac
: rough and scaly. resembling-thougl
of course, on a tiny scale-tne teeth Q
a saw. 1t was by rubbing this that tn
e ant made the sound that had rewarde
: the scientists research.
NJ. Ferel then took a couple of ant
and confined them in the glass box al
ready described. inDrisoning the on
and giving the other liberty to move
The ant that had free use of hi
4 limbs became at once intensely excited
1t rushed about making what nus
have been-taking into considerable
, the comparative size of a man and q
!. anita terrible noise. The modulation
& of the insects mode of expression wer
r plainly heard by the scientist:
IA Then, having apparently exhauste
an exceedingly copious vocabulary. til
ant. in despair OF l%iberating its con
(, panion, dashed at it and killed 1t. Th
4 was evidently to the insect the onl
a. course left open.
- .E.a T..