Page:Ants, Wheeler (1910).djvu/44

12 sociologist. It will suffice to mention the unrivalled material which they present for the study of variation and geographical distribution, both from the taxonomic and experimental standpoints, the extraordinary phenomena of polymorphism, parthenogenesis and sex-determination; the wonderful cases of parasitism and symbiosis, and last, but not least, the great importance of these insects in the problems of instinct and intelligence. The researches of Janet and others have shown what a wonderful field of anatomical study they present, and the embryonic and post-embryonic development have scarcely been studied. Add to all this the great facility with which they may be obtained in all localities and, owing to their remarkable adaptability, the ease with which they can be kept for long periods in artificial nests, and it becomes a matter of surprise that they have attracted so few students. To what extent this neglect on the part of entomologists and other biologists may be due to the absence in ants of a powerful appeal to the æsthetic sense, so readily aroused by birds, beetles and butterflies, would be an interesting matter for discussion. If this is, indeed, responsible for the very general neglect of the ants, their lack of æsthetic qualities may perhaps be regarded as a further advantage, since it must tend to discourage those who approach the subject merely as collectors of pretty things, while it does not necessarily repel the more serious and philosophical student.