The Savannah morning news., 1900-11-18
DO ANTS TALIIF
One Scientific Frrnchmhn Declares
That They DO.


From the Philadelphia Times.
Sir John Lubbock as well as many
other scientists. has Of course studied
the ant bur &c has been given 10 q
Frenohuan. = NJ Fercl, to make a dlsrov-
cry as regards ants tha, proves them 10
be possessed 81 an intelligence FAR greater
than has been hitherto supposed.
And this discovery o. nothing more or
less than that ants are capable OF pro
du.ing sounds Ineligible 70 their fellows.
and even audible 10 our e1rs-ln other
words, that they converse with one at
other.
The way NJ Ferel proved this was as
follows.
lie made a glass funnel. one end small
er than the other. which he placed, the
small end downward iu the center Of
square OF plain glass some six inches wide,
Btting closely enough to prevent tho lit
tie insects from crawling out underneath
He then took a number q ants IN
bunch about tho size OF an ordinary horse
chestnut. free from any foreign sub-
stances. and lifting mp the funnel drop
ped the cluster Of insects inside.
While the ants We're stili 81 state az
bewllderment. and before any OF them
could reach the edge o. the glass. tho eX-
pcrimenter covered IL with another square.
similar TO the one alteudv in use, and
which had been surrounded short dis
lance from its edge by n rim 81 putty.
This enectually confined tire little in
sects and prevented their being crushed.
The two plates % glass we're then press.
81 together 10 within. approximately. the
thickness OF an ants body but closer on
one side than on the other. 80 as to hoi1
some fnst ana incapable o. moving while
others could move about IN their narrow
prison where they Nked
on applying this box Of ants % the ear.
az though g had been a watch. NJ. Fercl
was nstonlshed 80 hear regular nud
continuous buzzng noise. somewhat sim
liar 20 the sound made by water when
boiling !n an open vessel. though some
times a higher note would be struck by
one or other Of the ants
Further study Of the box OF prisoners
revealed many interesting facts. The
free ants were seen 10 advance 20 the
sides OF the ones that could not move.
and 20 endeavor with all their strength
TO release the prisoners II was then that
the sounds made by the ants became loli-
or and more student Il was evident thai
sese sounds conveyed some meaning. for
a palpable difference was 60 be found IN
the minute utierauces. which must have
been ineligible 20 the tiny captlves.
Then came the problem. How was the
sound made? NJ Fcrel proceeded to at
once make minute Investigations and
submitted live ants 10 the scrutiny Of o
very powerful microscope.
Here. again. an interesting discovery
was in store for the investigator. The
sides OF the little Insects were found 10
be In one particular place rough and
scaly. esemblInE-th0ugh. Of course. on
a tiny scale--the teeth OF a saw. II was
by rubbing this Tint the ant made The
sound that had rewarded tho scientists
research.
NJ. Fere then took a couple OF ants and
confined them In the glass box already
described. imprieoning the one ana giving
the other liberty to move.
The ant that had free use OF his limbs
became at once intensely excited. Il
rushed about. making what must have
bcen--taking into consideration the CON-
parative slzes OF man and IN ANITA
terrible noise. The modulatious Of the
Insects mode Of expression were plainly
heard by the scientist.
Then. having apparently exhausted an
exceedingly copious vocabulary. the ant
iu despair OF uberatlng is companion.
dashed a. 4 and killed g. This was evi-
IDENTIFY 20 the insect the only course lert
open.