Ants, bees, and wasps : a record of observations on the habits of the social Hymenoptera . ssatisfied. Infact, it was obvious that they knew they were beingsent a long way round, and were attempting to make ashorter cut. I then again placed the larvae on the column atM, and when the ants were once more going to andfro regularly along the paper path, I altered theposition of the column and larvae to m, placing theedge of the pillar, which the ants had been accustomedto ascend, towards the paper bridge, connecting it withthe original bridge by a side- Fig. 30. bridge a, M being an inoh fromthe o


Ants, bees, and wasps : a record of observations on the habits of the social Hymenoptera . ssatisfied. Infact, it was obvious that they knew they were beingsent a long way round, and were attempting to make ashorter cut. I then again placed the larvae on the column atM, and when the ants were once more going to andfro regularly along the paper path, I altered theposition of the column and larvae to m, placing theedge of the pillar, which the ants had been accustomedto ascend, towards the paper bridge, connecting it withthe original bridge by a side- Fig. 30. bridge a, M being an inoh fromthe original bridge. Underthese circumstances three antsran on to M; then two foundtheir way over the bridge a tom. Of the next ten ants, fivewent to M and five over a to next ten all went over the paper bridge a to m. I then put the pillar and the larvae on the other sideof the original paper path at m, connected with themain path by a short bridge a, taking for a a newpiece of paper, so that scent would be no guide. I leftthe little bridge a in its place. The ants went asfollows:—. a72 ANTS TO SOME EXTENT ) M ] L To m 0 To u 0 t» j» 0 »» 55 i) 0 »> ?> ^ j> 0 ») »» >» 1 »» »> ^ » 0 »» »> »> 0 n 0 >» » 0 >j 0 »» J » 0 n 0 n J i> 0 »> 0 >» 5? 1 55 0 55 1 0 55 00 12 3 5 It seems clear, therefore, that though the ants didnot trust so much to their eyes as a man would havedone under similar circumstances, yet that they wereto some extent guided by sight. I then removed all the paper pathways and put theFig. 31. pillar to M. Of the first two ants which came to the table, the firstfound the pillar in five minutes,the second, after wandering aboutfor a quarter of an hour, gave thesearch up in despair, and wenthome. I then moved the pillarto m, and watched the next antthat came on to the table; she found it in a minute or


Size: 1656px × 1510px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbees, bookyear1915