These experiments are in some measure corrobo rated by the observations of M. Latreille, who supposes antenna the olfactory organ. If the finger is seve ral times drawn across the path-way of ants to their ant-hill, the direction of the current of emanations, serving as their guide, is interrupted ; an obstacle is interposed, which compels them immediately to retrace their way, or search out some other, and they are occu pied a considerable time in recovering the proper path.
Concluding from this that the sense of smell was sO clearly indicated by these animals, M. Latreillc de prived several workers of the common brown ant, of the antenna, while in the vicinity of their nest. They fell into a kind of ebricty or delirium; they wandered 'here and there, altogether incapable of recovering their way. In the mean time several other ants approached them, and stretching their trunks over the wounds, frequently anointed them with a drop of liquid, flowing from the extremity.
M. P. Huber, the son of the intelligent naturalist we have above-named, affirms that he looks on the antenna of ants as the means of imparting their mutual wants and necessities; and he seems to admit the aeroscepsin of Lehmann, as also residing there. When two ants
meet in their courses, they examine each other with the antenna : Those which go abroad return full of a liquid aliment, which they disgorge into the mouths of those remaining at home. But the hunger of the domestic ant is intimated to the erratic one, by repeated alternate blows with the antenna ; and intelligence that the latter has food to bestow, is, on its return, reciprocally inti mated by similar motions.
We have here preferred reporting the experiments of others, because our own, though partly coincident with some of them, we must acknowledge have not been fully satisfactory in proving the use of the antenna.
Sec Lehmann de Fabrica Antennaym, 1799. Lehmann de Usu Antennarum, 1800. Latreille sur les Fourmis, 1802. P. Huber Relations des Fourmis avec les Puce roils, et les Galle Inseetes ; Francis Huber New Obser vations on the Natural History of Bees, 1808a Marsham on the Ichneumon Investigator ; Transactions of the Lin mean Society, vol. iii.; Kirby Monographia ajiunz Anglize, 1802. Oeuvres de Bonnet, torn. vii. in 8vo.; Baster Opuscula Subseciva, part ii. (c)