The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-02-21
EAOridR Ants.

Correspondence of the N. Y Commercially
The pest Of Florida, but especially of st. Au-
gustne--is the small black ant. This creature,
though not much larger than the minute red
species which curses the sweetmests pantry OF
the Northern houst keeper, with the exception
OF the terrible African Ants, is the most for
mdable member of the whole ant family. His
sense OF smell, or whatever you may choose to
call bis variety OF senstiveness to edibes-is
acuter thaa any animals ever saw Before
we were initiated into his habits we frequently
lett oranges on our mantle piece or table. If
We took them down an hour afterwards we in
yariaby found their insides swartning with
ants who had in that short time entirely remov-
ed the pulp and were now clearing off the
white partition walls of the lobes. have seen
oranges made into very pretty rsttles for chill
dren by these ingenious little manufactures.
All you have to do atterward is to leave your
orange out i'll the sun and let the skin dry stiff
these creatures attack not only every dad thing
but even the smaller living animals The
last two months we stayed i'll Floriia we kept
a cage containing dozen chameleons. The
gambols OF these beautiful and graceful little
creatures were a constant source of amusement
to u.s. They became so tame that they would
sit on our hands and go their changes of color
there like Viyiied bracelet OF Jewels All
they asked was plenty OF water which We kept
in little stone cistern at the head Of the cage,
and two Walls full of live flies per diem. One
day strewed the cage with warm unwashed
sand, hoping that they would lay there and
hatch family. Unwittingly, I
included in this sand colony Of ants The
next morning when wewent to pay our pets the
customary visit, all the smaller ones we're
dead-and the larger ones, though fighting
oravely ,6tsnd. The ants system of attack had
been to mount the heads of the chameleons-
bore through their eyes--and thus entering the
body, to excayate it as completely as Il tunnel
ing machine. found nothing left of our dead
chameleons but their hollow skin When we
got our next cage full of pets, you may be sure
we were careful TO drown the ants out of any
sand we put in.
The little villains attack everything that IN
the remotest degree may be regarded as edible
GU deposit lump of sugar on your tabl =:
there Is not an ant visible at the time Come
back in fifteen minutes and they will have gal
ieried 1t through and through They leave YOU
nothing but the peel Of your sugar csne-they
gut your very pincushion of its bran. The on
! y way you can possibly preserve any edibles
IN your room Is TO stand the dish containing
them in pan OF water, If you would keep
anything from their assaults on your table or
bureau, you must tie pieces of lambwooI sstu.
| rated IN corrosive sublimate, around the legs or
ieet. This an unfailng precautionary measure,
and the one constantly adopted by the st Au-
gustine people In that city the ants make
thelrigreat rendezvous, the feas being compae-
atively few.
Without moralizing, let me say that the
Florida ant is one Of the most benign adjust
ments of nature. We may be vexed at him =
we undoubtedly shall but We cannot fail to
perceive that he does vast deal of good. He
and the turkey buzzard are the great scaven-
gers OF Florida. All along the shores of the up
per st. Johns lie dead alligators who have fall
en- by the shot Of some steamer marksmsn: al.
llgators who have died natural death; defunct
cattle, swine, and smaller beasts How shall
the scraps on the rubbish heap Of mortality be
kept from injecting the air-from involving in
their death, yet more life? The breath is hard
~ out of their bodies before the high-glidinc
ouzzards know it and swoop through their
mile OF sky upon the prey. They sit at the
oosce ne banquet till every appreciable particle
OF flesh is torn from the skeleton, AS soon as
thev leave The bones, up troops an amy OF
black ants to clean them In one day assisted
by FLORIDA sun, they shall have done their
work 80 thoroughly-left it so white and dry,
that 1t is no longer carcass but nm anatomical
PrepGTation-ft for cur most f stiduous cabi.
net-without odor, without moisture. Thus
the ants are auxiliary both to life and science.