Ants

The andienoe whioh, following Solomon's advioe mul Sir .Tolm Lubbock's reputation, went to the Roynl 011 the 27th to consider the ways of the ant wan vast, nul they heard mue.li that wöuld, perliaps, have astonishod Solomon, or the Persinu sage Shnllish-horta, who told man not to be conceited about lus social superiority, but to " observe the sovereignty of the boe and of the ant in their kind." Sii' Johu Lubbock lias been kuown to )e (lovoting lus attontion to ants for the last three yenrs. He has olever assistants in his little dawghter and her governess, who watch the proceedings in the ant-room ■ during the day, and report progresa if he has been absent. Living on a farm adjoining that of Charlea Durwiu, he has the benefit of cousultations with that great man (against whose high name some forger recently aimed a blow in ! Carlyle's name, which Carlyle has denonnoed). Sir John's story last night was most extraordinary. He deelared that though the ape rauks next man in form, the ant ranks next him in intellect, and if , the ants shonld ever lie able to inake up by numbers for their deficieney of size they might be able to cope with man on notineqtinl terms. Thereare 700 kuown ! species of ants, of whioh tliere are thirty in tiiis country, and Sir John has based his researohes on twenty species, whioh are now sharers of his hospitality. For ü liberal and a moral man, Sir John does ! not seem to observe rigid principies with j these tin#y creatures; he sets some a slaves to others, and on one occasion gave an ant-company of thirty so mucn drink that they were reduced to hopeless intoxication. On tliis lnst occasion the sober ants pitched five of the inebriates into the water, and took tweuty-five into the nest to recover. But of a similar party of "strangers" (namely, uot j longing to their nest) the sober auts ' pitobed twenty-five into the water, took ftve into the nest, but preseutly brought four of these out and pitched them into the water too. The mits know their coinrades after long separation. Sir John separated one from his nest tot a year, then biought him back, aud with him a " stranger" of j the same species, marking them with paint for recognition. The ants treated the stranger nefariously, but welcomed their long-lost brother and wiped the ' paint off liim. There is a little yellow ant in England wliich regularly raises , poultry ; it stores up through winter the eggs of aphides, wliich, being hatched in spring, give them a good supply of provisión. The difïei-entiation of labor among them is remarkable, some being 1 developed into soldiers, others of the same nest as laborers, and others as j coinmissariat agent. Sir John found that two particular ants were invariably sent out to bring in food placed at the door, and when these were removed by ; him, two others were appointed who ', came just as invariably, and so on so often as the special officials were removed. The ants keep a more various stock of animáis for their provisions thau Englishmen do ; and there are two tiny creatures - an aphis and a beetle - always found in their nests, but never eaten or used, apparently tlieir cat and dog. Slavery prevails, and there is no anti-slavery society. But 8ir John remarked the evil èffects of the system. The most detennined slaveholder is called "Polyergus," a queer misnomer, since the bloated creature doesn't work at all. By employing slaves (which are vcry black) this big red aut has lost all clevemess, all strength, and even his mandibles ; he is perhaps the only animal in nature that cannot even feedhimself, but will die amid plenty unless Sir John sends in slaves every day to cram the food down his throat. It is the great middle class who hold no slaves who develop the marvelous intelligence and enterprise displayed by ants.