The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-06-12

follow after the apn1ueS, ana StrOke II dDQOUenS I
the latter with their antenna, causing them to exude
the sweet secretion, of which the ants are so fond,
from two tubular pores placed near the hinder parts
on the upper surface of the back. This the ants greed
lily devour.
Mr.. Darwin mentions an observation of his own
which seems to show that the relations between the
ants and their food providers are of an intimate and
reciprocal sort. Having removed the attendant ants
from a little group consisting of about a dozen aphides
which were domiciled upon a dock plant, Darwin for
several hours prevented any ant from approaching
them.
Feeling sure that by this time the aphides would
have secreted an ample store of the sweet, visCid syrup
upon which the ants feed. he watched them closely to
see if anv emitted the secretion; but did not succeed
in detecting a single aphis in the act. Darwin then
tried to initiate the action of the ants antenn9 by
deicate1y stroking the abdomen of the aphldes with a
hair. but not a single aphis responded. Aphides are
not intelligent, but they know a hair from the feeler OF
a friendly ant. This was conclusively proved by the
fact that when an ant was admitted to the little herd
of plant lice that Darwin had corralled on the dock
leaf it hurried rejoicing from one to another OF
them as if it was we'll aware of the goodly store OF
luscious honey dew that awaited it, and began to
stroke the different insects with its feelers. The good
animals rapidly gave forth the coveted food for the
ants delectaion.
Aphides will do this even when very young. a fact
which tends to show the purely instructive and heredi-
tarv nature of the act on the part of the insect,
while the action of the ant is perhaps OF no less an
instructive sort. Instructive or not. however, 1t GER
taInlv seems very much ike reason IN anus 10 axe
charge of the aphides and care for them as they do.
There Is no other instance III the whole animal
kingdom. apart from man. in which one race takes
charge of another of a different species for the sake OF
some future benefit to be derived from the objects OF
their care.
Everywhere in the Middle and the Southern States,
small colonies of yellow and brown aphides may be
found gathered in almost all ants nests underground.
There the ants carefully look after them. clean them,
secure for them a comfortable home where they can
feed ,-pou the "a of tender roots and are renntInerated
by the honey dew which the aphides exude at their
solicitation.
The ants not only feed and shelter the adult aph1deS,
but are nurses and foster mothers to their young. In
the autumn. when the eggs are deposited by the last
generation of the aphides. they are collected by the
ants and carried by underground tunnels to their
nests. There they are carefully stored up IN a proper
apartment and treated with tendereSt care and watched
with the utmost solicitude. The ants lick them with
their tongues. and also varnish them with a peculiar
liquid. If it becomes requisite TO remove them thew
are carried most carefully in the Jaws or mandibles of
their fo~ster-mothers. On warm, sunny days they