194 THE GROUNDWORK OF SCIENCE

about 20 minutes of time as far as I can say) in its mistaken

reversed course away from the nest. Though it met and

collided with quantities of burdened ants, and was passed in

the same direction as its own by unburdened ants only, it did

not seem to take the hint. Its final return home was the

result of accident, as far as I could tell it having got up the

right way round after a severe fall. ... I dug a hole in one

of the paths on several occasions. The hole was small, and

it was easy, though not so convenient, to go round by the

side over the very short grass. Nevertheless, it required the

falling of very many ants into the hole, and the leaving of

quite a pile of leaves there, before the stream learned to pass

about one inch to one or the other side, and so to avoid the

pitfall. Some ants even turned back ; and I left them carry-

ing their burdens back to the foraging grounds again."

This statement quite accords with some observations we

have ourselves made.

As to higher animals and the asserted use by them of gesture

language, Mr. Romanes cites * a case recorded by James

Forbes, F.R.S., of a male monkey, which was said to have

begged back the body of a female which had just been shot :

"The animal came to the door of the tent, and, finding

threats of no avail, began a lamentable moaning, and by the

most expressive gestures seemed to beg for the dead body. It

was given to him ; he took it sorrowfully in his arms and bore

it away to his expecting companions." One would like to

know what the gestures were. Nothing less than the actions

essentially like those used in our ballets would justify their

being called " most expressive."

A Captain Johnson is also cited as having seen a monkey

he had wounded run down a tree towards him. He then

"stopped suddenly, and coolly put his paw to the part

wounded covered with blood, and held it out for me to see."

* Op. cif., p. 100.

about 20 minutes of time as far as I can say) in its mistaken

reversed course away from the nest. Though it met and

collided with quantities of burdened ants, and was passed in

the same direction as its own by unburdened ants only, it did

not seem to take the hint. Its final return home was the

result of accident, as far as I could tell it having got up the

right way round after a severe fall. ... I dug a hole in one

of the paths on several occasions. The hole was small, and

it was easy, though not so convenient, to go round by the

side over the very short grass. Nevertheless, it required the

falling of very many ants into the hole, and the leaving of

quite a pile of leaves there, before the stream learned to pass

about one inch to one or the other side, and so to avoid the

pitfall. Some ants even turned back ; and I left them carry-

ing their burdens back to the foraging grounds again."

This statement quite accords with some observations we

have ourselves made.

As to higher animals and the asserted use by them of gesture

language, Mr. Romanes cites * a case recorded by James

Forbes, F.R.S., of a male monkey, which was said to have

begged back the body of a female which had just been shot :

"The animal came to the door of the tent, and, finding

threats of no avail, began a lamentable moaning, and by the

most expressive gestures seemed to beg for the dead body. It

was given to him ; he took it sorrowfully in his arms and bore

it away to his expecting companions." One would like to

know what the gestures were. Nothing less than the actions

essentially like those used in our ballets would justify their

being called " most expressive."

A Captain Johnson is also cited as having seen a monkey

he had wounded run down a tree towards him. He then

"stopped suddenly, and coolly put his paw to the part

wounded covered with blood, and held it out for me to see."

* Op. cif., p. 100.