New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-08-13
/ ICrriNiE ELMEntE-.
Du Chaillu, recently returned from Africa
writes as follows of the terrible raYages of tn
ELECTORAL ant

Du Chaillu, recently returned from Africa,
writes as follows Of the terrible rayages of the
electoral ant
1t is their habit to march through the forests
iu 4 long and regular line, about two inches broad
ard often ten miles in length. All along this line
are larger ants, who act officers, stand outside
tle rank , and keep this singular army in order. Ii
they come to place where there are no trees to
shelter them from the sum- whose heat they cannot
Lear, they immediately build underground tunnels
to tie forest beyond. These tunnels are four or
FIVE feet under ground, end are used only in the
heat OF the day, or during a storm.
Y hen they get. hungry, the long Gle spreads
itself through the forest in front line, nd devours
al it comes to with fury which is quite rresst-
iblt. The elephant and gorilla fly before this at
tack. The black men run for their lives. Every
animal that lives in their line Of march is chase
| They seem TO understand and act upon the tactics
| of Napoleon, and Concentrate with great speed
their heaviest forces upon the point OF attack. In
| m incredible short space of time, the or
| dog or leopard or deer, is overwhelmed, killed
eaten, and the bare skeleton only remains.
| They seem to travel night and day. Many time
| have been awakened out OF a sleep, and obliged
to rush from the hut and into the water to my
| life, and after all suffered intOlerabe HgOnY from
the bites of the advance guard, who had got into
| NY clothes. When they enter house they clear
| if OF all living things ROachcs are dcv0ured in
| an instant. Rats and mice spring round the room
| in vain. An overwhelming force of ants kills a
strong rat in less than minute, III spite of the
most frantic struggles, and in less than another
minute its bones stripped Every living thing il
| the house is deVnured. They will not touch vege
! table matter. Thus they in reality very useiu
| (ns well as dangeTous) to the negroes, who have
| their huts cleaned Of all the abounding vermin
such as immense reaches and centipedes, at eas
| several times year.
When on their march the insect world flies before
| them, and | have often had the approach of
| bashikouay army hcralded to me by this. means
Wherever they go they make clean sweep ever
ascending to the tops of the highest trees in pur
| suit OF their prey. Their manner Of attack is At
lmpetuous leap. Instantly the strong pincers art
fastened, and they only let go when the piece gives
| way. At such times this animal seems animated
by fury, which it to disregard entirely its
| own safety, and to seek only the conquest Of it,
| prey. The bite is very painful.
The negroes relate, their criminals were in for
mer times exposed in the path of the bashlk0uay
ants, as the most cruel manner of putting to death
Two very remarkable practices Of theirs remain
to be related. When, their line of march, they
must cross a stream, they throw themselves across
| and form a tunnel-a living tunnel-connectiug
two trees, high bushes, opposite sides OF the
little stream. This is d0uc with great speed, ami Is
effected by great number of aas, each Vi whiGi
ClIng5 with its fore claws TO its next hcigilhur'S
body or hud claws. Ihus they form a high, sale
| tubular bridge, through which the wn0lr vast regi
| ment marches in regular order. If disturbed, or i
| the arch is broken by the violence fsome animal
they instantly attack the offender with the greatest
| animosity.
The bashiouay have the sense of smell finely de
yeloped as indeed have all the ants know of, anG
| they are guided very much by it. They afe larger
than an inch long, and are armed with very power
fu fore legs and sharp avs, with which they bite,
| They red or dark brown in color. Their num-
bers are so great that does not like to enter
| into calculations; but | have seen one continued
| line passing at good speed particular place loT
twelve hours. The reader may imagine for himself
how many millions or billions there may have been
| contained here.