Domestics of Ants.

Otago Witness, Issue 2734, 8 August 1906, Page 67

Domestics of Ants.

" We'll set theo -to school to an ant." And there have been many distinguished students at this academy. One of these (Faiher Wassman) has recently given to the world the te-sult of his studies, under the titl© V>f " Comparative Studies in the Psychology of Ants and of Higher Animals." Wassman has made a special study of the remarkable relations which exist between* ants and their "domestic animals." And, ! indeed, there is nothing more curious about i these fetrange insects than their habit of keeping other animals for their use. Of these so-called domestic animals the author enumerates 1246 species t Wassman, as a result of his observations. concludes that ants are j destitute of even the rudiments of intelli- j gence, defining intelligence as " the power of acting with deliberation and self-eon- j sciousness, of inventing new means for attaining various purposes, and thus making progress in civilisation." Lord Avcbury^ on the other hand, finds it " difficult altogether to deny to them the gift of reason," and concludes that "their mental powers j differ from those of men not so much in kind as in degree." | The "domestio. animals" kept by certain j species of ant have been studied by many i observers. It was Huber who first wrote \ oi ants keeping and milking "cows" — these j cows being species of aphides from which they get a sweet liquid. One of the most interesting of these cow-keeping ants is one which may be said to build byres for its herds. This species is found in Aivbtralia, i and its cows are a species of aphis which, feeds on the young snoots of the eucalyptus. As the aphides sit on the branches tho ants build over them little domed .tvuetures of bits of bark and grass. Each little byro contains from three to ten cows, and th© door is guarded by a pair of ants. Thore ere other ants which keep spiders to spin for them. These, which are found in New Zealand, make their nests of leaves and- flowers spun together. They cannot spin tho necessary threads themselves, so they keep spiders, which in some way they compel to do the work for them. Another species of ant which requires spinning uses its own young for tho purpose. For, strange >o say, the grubs have the power ( of produrinur a 6ilken thread which ie not j po=sessed by tie adultA Taking a pupa in its mouth, the ant will attach the thread to the required place, then carry its living shuttle to the next point, a.\id fix it there, and so on. until the requisite drawing together of leaves and branches is accomplished. Tho case of a blind beetle found in iho costs of certain ants is peculiar, as it is not obvious that it is of any use to them. , Nevertheless, the ants soem to be very much attached to tho booties, and if tho nest is disturbed it is said that they will carry th.-m oft" before their own young. Is it possible- that the beetles arc kept as pete, as dog- are by men? — Loikloii Globe.

Tho Lar^st Gnawer.— A specimen of the capybara, the largest gnawing animal in the world, •» hich was .shot at Monte A ideo, weighed 931b. An I'.'xfincl Shellfish.— There is to be found in Mauritius a land-«hell which in the seventeenth century flourished, in the woods; owi'.g to these having been de- , rtroyed, not a living specimen ie to be found. ' Temperature aud Wasps.— Mr Keartoii subjected a hibernating wa6p to various degrees of h<?afc; at 55deg it commenced , to clean its anfennre, at 56deg it began to j walk, an<l at 70deg it flew about quite brisk'y. | Bird Pioneers. — The firel birds to inhabit small islets of recent origin, eituated in the midst of vast oceans, are the wader family, that is next, after the Jjulla and other oceanic species.