. Ants; their structure, development and behavior. short-sighted-ness, but only becomes short-sighted when the accommoda-tion apparatus of the eye hasbeen overtaxed by continualexertion. Myopia arises, likethe peculiarities of the workerants, as a somatic affection ona blastogenic foundation. With this assumption the problem of the development of workersseems to me to become more intelligible and to be brought a stepnearer its solution. The peculiarities of the Hymenopteran workers arelaid down in every female egg; those of the termite workers in everyegg of either sex, but they can only manif
. Ants; their structure, development and behavior. short-sighted-ness, but only becomes short-sighted when the accommoda-tion apparatus of the eye hasbeen overtaxed by continualexertion. Myopia arises, likethe peculiarities of the workerants, as a somatic affection ona blastogenic foundation. With this assumption the problem of the development of workersseems to me to become more intelligible and to be brought a stepnearer its solution. The peculiarities of the Hymenopteran workers arelaid down in every female egg; those of the termite workers in everyegg of either sex, but they can only manifest themselves in the presenceof specific vital conditions. In the phylogeny of the various species ofants the worker peculiarities are not transmitted but merely the facultyof all fertilized eggs to be reared as a single or several kinds ofworkers. The peculiar instinct of rearing workers is also transmitted,since it must be exercised by the fertile females in establishing theircolonies. The views above cited show verv clearlv that authors have. FIG. 62. Heads of workers of Dorylnsaffinis drawn to same scale to show differ-ences in size .and in number of antennaljohits. (Emery.) a. Soldier, or worker max-ima, ii mm. long; b, worker major 5 ; c, worker minima with ii-jointed an-tennae ; d, worker minima with to-jointed an-tennae : e. with g-jointed antennae, /, with 8-jointed antennae : /, antenna of same enlarged. ANTS. been impressed by very different aspects of the complicated phenomenaof polymorphism, and that each has emphasized the aspect whichseemed the most promising from the standpoint of the general evolu-tionary theory he happened to be defending. Escherich ( 1906) hasrecently called attention to two very different ways of envisaging theproblem ; one of these is physiological and ontogenic, the other etho-logical and phylogenetic. As these furnish convenient captions underwhich to continue the discussion of the subject, ] shall adopt them, andconclude wit
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectants, bookyear1910
