| → work of any kind, and the workers or sterile females, though most energetic and courageous in capturing slaves, do no other work. 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
| work. 1859 1860 |
|
| ↑ 1 blocks not present in 1861 1866 1869 1872; present in 1859 1860 |
| The workers or sterile females, though most energetic and courageous in capturing slaves, do no other work.
|
|
| → Another species, Formica 1860 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
| Formica 1859 |
|
|
Slave-making
instinct
.—
|
| This remarkable instinct was first discovered in the Formica (Polyerges) rufescens by Pierre Huber, a better observer even than his celebrated father. This ant is absolutely dependent on its slaves; without their aid, the species would certainly become extinct in a single year. The males and fertile females do no
→work of any kind, and the workers or sterile females, though most energetic and courageous in capturing slaves, do no other work.
↑
They are incapable of making their own nests, or of feeding their own larvæ. When the old nest is found inconvenient, and they have to migrate, it is the slaves which determine the migration, and actually carry their masters in their jaws. So utterly helpless are the masters, that when Huber shut up thirty of them without a slave, but with plenty of the food which they like best, and with their
and pupæ to stimulate them to work, they did nothing; they could not even feed themselves, and many perished of hunger. Huber then introduced a single slave (F. fusca), and she instantly set to work, fed and saved the survivors; made some cells and tended the larvæ, and put all to rights. What can be more extraordinary than these well-ascertained facts? If we had not known of any other slave-making ant, it would have been hopeless to
how so wonderful an instinct could have been perfected. |
|
|
→Another species, Formica
was likewise first discovered by P. Huber to be a slave-making ant. This species is found in the southern parts of England, and its habits have been attended to by Mr. F. Smith, of the British Museum, to whom I am much indebted for information on this and other subjects. Although fully trusting to the statements of Huber and Mr. Smith, I tried to approach the subject in a sceptical frame of mind, as any one may well be excused for doubting the
|
