Animal Intelligence: The International Scientific Series, Vol. XLIV.Romanes, George John
Science
Animal Intelligence: The International Scientific Series, Vol. XLIV.
Romanes, George John
Animal behavior; Animal intelligence
The observation upon the ants now before me began at 8
o'clock; at 11 P.M. the cluster had nearly dissolved,
only a few being asleep. To illustrate the soundness
of this sleep I take the quill pen with which I write,
and apply the feather end of it to an ant who is
sleeping upon the soil. She has chosen a little oval
depression in the surface, and lies with abdomen upon
the raised edge, and face toward the lamp. Her legs
are drawn up close to the body. She is perfectly
still. I gently draw the feather tip along the body,
stroking 'with the fur,' if I may so say. There is no
motion. Again and again this action is repeated, the
stroke gradually being made heavier, although always
quite gentle. Still there is no change. The strokes
are now directed upon the head, with the same result.
Now the tip is applied to the neck, the point at which
the head is united to the pro-thorax, with a waving
motion intended to produce a sensation of tickling.
The ant remains motionless. After continuing these
experiments for several minutes, I arouse the sleeper
by a sharp touch of the quill. She stretches out her
head, then her legs, which she also shakes, steps
nearer to the light, and begins to cleanse herself in
the manner already described. This act invariably
follows the waking of ants from sleep. The above
description applies to the general habit of somnolence
as observed upon the two named species of harvesting
ants for nearly four months. I have often applied the
quill, and even the point of a lead pencil, to the
sleeping Floridians without breaking their slumber.
There are some other details which have not appeared
in the behaviour of the individual just put under
observation.
Thus, I have several times seen the ants (_Crudelis_)
_yawning_ after awaking. I use this word for lack of
one which more accurately expresses the behaviour. The
action is very like that of the human animal; the
mandibles are thrown open with the peculiar muscular
strain which is familiar to all readers; the tongue
also is sometimes thrust out, and the limbs stretched
with the appearance, at least, of that tension which
accompanies the yawn in the genus _homo_. During sleep
the antennæ have a gentle, quivering, apparently
involuntary motion, which seemed to me, at times, to
have the regularity of breathing. I also often noted
an occasional regular lifting up and setting down of
the fore-feet, one leg after another, with almost a
rhythmic motion.
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