Seite - 276 - in The Origin of Species
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Text der Seite - 276 -
276 ORIGIN OF SPECIES
and tended the larvae, 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 speculate how so wonderful an instinct
could have been perfected.
Another species, Formica sanguinea, was likewise first dis-
covered 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 Mu-
seum, 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 existence of so extraordinary an instinct as
that of making slaves. Hence, I will give the observations
which I made in some little detail. I opened fourteen nests
of F. sanguinea, and found a few slaves in all. Males and
fertile females of the slave species (F. fusca) are found
only in their own proper communities, and have never been
observed in the nests of F. sanguinea. The slaves are black
and not above half the size of their red masters, so that the
contrast in their appearance is great. When the nest is
slightly disturbed, the slaves occasionally come out, and like
their masters are much agitated and defend the nest: when
the nest is much disturbed, and the larvse and pupae are ex-
posed, the slaves work energetically together with their mas-
ters in carrying them away to a place of safety. Hence, it
is clear, that the slaves feel quite at home. During the
months of June and July, on three successive years, I watched
for many hours several nests in Surrey and Sussex, and
never saw a slave either leave or enter a nest. As, during
these months, the slaves are very few in number, I thought
that they might behave differently when more numerous; but
Mr. Smith informs me that he has watched the nests at
various hours during May, June, and August, both in Surrey
and Hampshire, and has never seen the slaves, though pres-
ent in large numbers in August, either leave or enter the
nest. Hence he considers them as strictly household slaves.
The masters, on the other hand, may be constantly seen
bringing in materials for the nest, and food of all kinds.
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Buch The Origin of Species"
The Origin of Species
- Titel
- The Origin of Species
- Autor
- Charles Darwin
- Verlag
- P. F. Collier & Son
- Ort
- New York
- Datum
- 1909
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- PD
- Abmessungen
- 10.5 x 16.4 cm
- Seiten
- 568
- Schlagwörter
- Evolutionstheorie, Evolution, Theory of Evolution, Naturwissenschaft, Natural Sciences
- Kategorien
- International
- Naturwissenschaften Biologie
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION 5
- AN HISTORICAL SKETCH of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species 9
- INTRODUCTION 21
- Variation under Domestication 25
- Variation under Nature 58
- Struggle for Existence 76
- Natural Selection; or the Survival of the Fittest 93
- Laws of Variation 145
- Difficulties of the Theory 178
- Miscellaneous Objections to the Theory of Natural Selection 219
- Instinct 262
- Hybridism 298
- On the Imperfection of the Geological Record 333
- On the Geological Succession of Organic Beinss 364
- Geographical Distribution 395
- Geographical Distribution - continued 427
- Mutual Affinities of Organic Beings: Morphology: Embryology: Rudimentary Organs 450
- Recapitulation and Conclusion 499
- GLOSSARY 531
- INDEX 541