Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 May 1880 — Sagacity of Ants. [ARTICLE]

Sagacity of Ants.

When Dr. Franklin was in Paris, as he sat quietly alone at his breakfast one morning, he saw a number of black ants busy with the contents of the sugarbowl. He drove them away, but they returned. Again he dispersed them ;in a few minutes they were seen climbing from lump to lump, as if nothing had happened. To try their ingenuity, he had the sugar-bowl suspended by a string from the ceiling. They endeavored to reach it by standing on each other’s back; several mounted in this manner and reached upward, but in vain ; the chain of ants fell down as fast as it was raised. After repeated attempts they went away, and he supposed they had given up the matter; Imt presently he saw them descending the string and dropping down upon the lumps of sugar. They had sealed the walls, traversed the ceiling, and discovered another road tq the treasure.