Abstract
IN a further contribution of his observations towards elucidating the economy and habits of these insects, laid before the last meeting of the Linnean Society (June 17), Sir John commenced by relating his fresh experiments on their powers of communication. Among others a dead blue-bottle fly was pinned down, and after vain efforts at removal the selected ant hied home, and emerged With friends who slowly, and evidently incredulously, followed their guide. The latter starting off at a great pace distanced them, and they returned, again, however, to be informed, come out and at length be coaxed to the prey. In the several experiments with different species of ants and under varied circumstances, these seem to indicate the possession by ants of something approaching language. It is impossible to doubt that the friends were brought out by the first ant, and as she returned empty handed to the nest the others cannot have been induced to follow merely by observing her proceedings. Hence the conclusion that they possess the power of Requesting their friends to come and help them. For other experiments testing the recognition of relations, although the old ants had absolutely never seen the young ones until the moment, some days after arriving at maturity, they were introduced into the nest, yet in all cases they were undoubtedly recognised as belonging to the community. It would seem, therefore, to be established that the recognition of ants is not personal and individual, and that their harmony is not due to the fact that each ant is acquainted with every other member of the community. It would further appear from the fact that they recognise their friends even when intoxicated, and that they know the young born in their own nest, even when they have been brought out of the chrysalis by strangers, indicating, therefore, that the recognition is not effected by means of any sign or password. With regard to workers breeding, the additional evidence tends to confirm previously-advanced views, that when workers lay eggs males are always-the issue of these. Without entering into details of instances it may broadly be affirmed that in the queenless nests males have been produced, and in not a single case has a worker laid eggs which have produced a female, either a queen or a worker. On the contrary, in nests possessing a queen, workers have been abundantly produced. The inference to these curious physiological fects leads to the presumption that, as in the case of bees, so also in ants, some special food is required to develop the female embryo into alqueen. In Sir John's nests, while from accidents and other Causes many ants are lost during the summer months, in winter, nevertheless, there are few deaths. As to the age attained, specimens of Formica fusca and F. sanguinea, still lively, are now four and others five years old at least. The behaviour to strange queens often results in their being ruthlessly killed; yet as communities are known to have existed for years, queens must occasionally have been adopted. With the view of trying how far dislike and passion might be assuaged by a formal temporary acquaintance a queen of F. fusca was introduced into a queenless nest, but protected by a wire cage, and after some days the latter removed, but the queen was at once attacked. Mr. McCook, nevertheless, relates an instance of a fertile queen of Cremastogaster lineolata having been adopted by a colony of the same species.
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Sir John Lubbock on the Habits of Ants . Nature 22, 184–185 (1880). https://doi.org/10.1038/022184c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/022184c0