THE SAGACITY OF ANTS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue XXIV, 14 December 1895, Page 750

THE SAGACITY OF ANTS.

The sagacity of ants is almost inconceivable. A short time ago the writer watched the operations of a colony of shiny black ants (F. fuliginosa) which had formed a home inside a decayed stump in the garden Near at hand a pink chestnut expanded its handsome flower spikes, many single florets falling to the ground. One morning the flowers were infested with aphidre, and the ants busily searching their daily food dis covered several green flies on a rosy corolla that had fallen to the ground. Watching the proceedings it was evident that the ants held a consultation ; and ultimately a green fly was carried off in triumph to the inner galleries of the wood stump. The same afternoon the chestnut tree presented a wonderful sight. Thousands of black ants came forth in search of the aphide. In the morning not a single ant had ascended the tree trunk. Six hours after, however, the intelligent animals had arrived at the knowledge that the pink flowers laden with aphis bad fallen from the tree above : it was not enough for them to gather a tew flies from the ground, but they discovered that if they ascended by way of the tree trunk and crawled downwards to the tips of the drooping branches flies innumerable awaited their patient exer tions. So it happened that whole regiments turned out, marching up and down the tree in regular file,then turning homeward ‘with milk and honey blest ’; for it is well known that ants store aphidn* in their cells, milking the sweet nectar as human being—if they knew how—milk the cows.