. The insect book [microform] : a popular account of the bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, flies and other North American insects exclusive of the butterflies, moths and beetles, with full life histories, tables and bibliographies. Insectes; Insects. i' - â (i i:\ ,1! The Ants insects. A number of ye:irs iifto some coffee-trees were started in the greenhouse. On the under s^de of the leaves of these cofTee-trees, there exist at the bases of certain of the leaf ribs some very minute, nectar-secreting glands. The ants soon found this out and sipprd the nectar. Then the idea occurred to
. The insect book [microform] : a popular account of the bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, flies and other North American insects exclusive of the butterflies, moths and beetles, with full life histories, tables and bibliographies. Insectes; Insects. i' - â (i i:\ ,1! The Ants insects. A number of ye:irs iifto some coffee-trees were started in the greenhouse. On the under s^de of the leaves of these cofTee-trees, there exist at the bases of certain of the leaf ribs some very minute, nectar-secreting glands. The ants soon found this out and sipprd the nectar. Then the idea occurred to some clever ant that these nectar glands would be the best places in the world for mealy bugs to live and grow fat and ihev would in cnse- quence secrete a great deal more nectar then thev would if they lived on other parts of the leaf. But the nectar glands were too small to accommodate even one good-sized mealv bug. So the word was passed around and the ants gnawed the edges of the gland and enlarged it so that it would accommodate a good-si/ed mealy bug, which was carried to it. Doubtless to the delight of the ants, the result was as we may imagine it to have been an- ticipated. The mealy bug thrived exceedingly. The gland was ^ /'^^ ⢠y t^'i'-irged still further and a whole ll fM.'^^^y family of mealy bugs was raised "* ^ in the same hole. Thus a cus- tom grew up and many such greatly enlarged glands were found after a few months. Here was an ant, then, apparently tak- ing advantage of an opportunity which was new not only to the experience of the individual, but new to the experience of the race, and if we adopt the most reason- able of the definitions of instinct here seems to have been dis- played positive intelligence of a high order. In all of these stories of the seeming intelligence of ants and of bfs, and of other insects as well, it must be remembered that we are running a great risk in our interpretations for the reason that we make them from a human .sta
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1901
