The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-08-05


We take the following description OF
the Bashkouay "-or reddish brown
African ant-from Du Chaillu's account
OF his African travels
g 1t is their habit to march through
the forest in a long and regular line,
about two inches broad and often ten
miles in length. All along this line are
larger ants, who act as officers, stand
outside the ranks and keep this singular
army in order. II they come to place
from the sun, whose heat they cannot
bear, they Immediately build under
ground tunnels, through which the
whole army passes in columns to the forest
beyond. These tunnels are four or five
feet under ground. and are used only in
the heat of the day or during storm.
When they get hungry The long file
spreads itself through the forest in front
line, and devours all it comes TO with a
fury which is quite irresistible. The
elephant and gorilla fly before this attack.
The black mon run for their lives.
Every animal that lives in their line of
march is chased. They seem 10 under
stand and act upon the tactics Of Napo-
leon, and concentrate with great speed
their heaviest forces upon the point OF
attack, In an incredibly short space Of
time, the mouse. ordog. 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 sleep, and obliged to rush from the
hut and into the water to save my life,
and after all suffered intolerable agony
from the bic of the advance guard, who
had got into my clothes. When they
enter house they clear it Of all living
things Reaches are devoured in an
instant. Rats and mice spring round
the room in vain An overwhelming
free of ans kill a strong rat in less than
minute, in spite Of the most frantic
struggles, and in less than another
minute its bones are stripped. Every
Ewing thing i" the house is devoured.
They will not touch vegetable matter.
Thus they are in reality very useful Gas
we'll as dangerous to the negroes, who
have theirhuts cleaned of all the abound
ing yermin, such as immense reaches
and centipedes, al least several times a
year. l ae aGa ,aEl
When on their march, the insect world
flies before them, and l have often had
the approach Of bashikouay army
heralded TO me by this means. Wher-
ever they 60 they make clean sweep,
even ascending 10 the tops of the highest
trees in pursuit of their pr y. Their
manner OF attack is an impetuous leap.
Instantly the strong pincers are fastened,
and they only let 60 when the piece
gives away. AT such times this little
animal seems agitated by kind Of fury,
which causes it to disregard entirely its
own safety, and to seek only the con-
quest Of its prey. The bite is very
painful. ~ r,1fs ffr.
The negroes relate that rimnals were
in former times exposed in the path OF
The bashlkouay ants, as the most cruel
manner of putting them todeath.
Two very remarkable practices Of
theirs remain TO be related. When on
their line OF march. they must cross a
stream, they throw themselves across and
form tunnel-a living tunnel-connect
ing two trees or high bushes on opposite
sides OF the little stream. This is done
with great speed, and is effected by a
great number of ants, each Of which
clings with its fore claws to its next
neighbours body or hind claws. Thus
they form a high, safe, tubular bridge,
through which the whole vast regiment
marches in regular order. If disturbed,
or if the arch is broken by tho violence
of some animal, they instantly attack the
offender with the greatest ani-nosity.
The bashikouay have the sense oil
smell finely developed, as indeed have
AL the ants know OF, and they are guild
ed very much by it. They are larger
than any ant we have in America, be-
ing at least hal { an inch long, and are
armed with very powerful fore legs and
sharp jaws. with which they bite. They
are red or dark brown color: Their
Numbers are so great that one does not
like to enter into, calculations;e but l
have seen one continual line passing at
good speed particular place for twelve
hours. The reader may imagine for
IN.