Sir John Lubbock has made out that ants do not
recog- nise ants of the same nest by any sign or pass-word, though he thinks it impossible that in the case of nests con- taining 100,000 each, all the ants know each other individu- ally. The way in which he disproved the sign or pass-word theory was exceedingly ingenious. He took pupae from various nests, and gave to some of them attendants from their own nest, to others, attendants from a different nest of the same species, so that if they were taught any sign or pass-word, the ants thus brought up would know the sign of their nurse's nest, and not that of their own, except when the nurse had been taken from their own nest. Then he returned some of them to their own nest, some to their nurse's nest. The result was as follows Of pupa; brought up by friends, and returned to their own nest, none were attacked, but all welcomed. Of pupae brought up by strangers (of the same species), and returned to their own neat, 37 were welcomed, and only seven were ap- parently attacked ; but of these seven,- Sir John was doubtful in three cases. Of pupae brought up by strangers of the same species, and put into the nest of those strangers, none were welcomed ; all 15 were attacked. Hence, ants of the same nest do recognise each other, but not by any sign or, pass-word,- probably by some smell, or other sense quite unknown to us. The whole series of these experiments of Sir John Lubbock's are most interesting, and we hope he will some day embody his studies in an essay on these highly intellectual insects.
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