The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-09-09
Battle of the Ants.

Walden, hy the late Henry u. rhorcau.
contains in the chapter entitled Brute
Ncighbors,' the following account of an
ant fight:
| was witness to events ct less peace.
tul character. One day, when went out
to my wood -plc, or rather to my pile of
smmps, observed two ants the one rcd
the other much larger, nearly half an inch
long. aud black -tcrccly coutcnding with
each other. Having once got hold, they
never let go, hut struggled and wrcstlcd
and rolled ON the chips necessarily. Look.
ing farther was surprised tu lind that the
chips were covered with such comhatants,
that it was not n dUchNm, hut bcliNm, n
war between two races of ants, the red al
ways pittcd against the black, and fire.
qucnuy two reds to one black. The lc.
giuus of these myrmidous covered all the
hills and wales in my woodward, aud the
ground was already stvcwn with the dead
and DYING, both red and black. It was the
first battle which had ever Witnessed
thc first battlefield ever trod while the
battle was raging be- intcmccirc war the
red republicans ON the cnc hand and the
black imperialists ON the other. On cv-
cry side they were engaged in deadly com
hear and human soldiers never fought So
rcsolutely. | watched a couple that were
fast locked in each others embraces, in u
little sunny valley amid the chips, now at
noon.day, prepared to light until tl,e sun
went down, or life went out. The sUalicr
red champion had fastened himself like y
vice to his advcrsarys front and through
all the tumbling on that field never for an
instant ceased TO gnaw at one Of the black
ono's fcclers near the root, having already
caused the other to 20 by the board while
the stronger black one dashed him from
side TO side, and, as saw en- looking nearer
had already Invested him of several of his
members. They fought with more perth.
acity than bulldogs. Neither manifested
the least disposition to retreat. 1t was cv-
idcnt that their battlc-crv was conquer or
die. In the meanwhile, there came along u
single red ant on the hillside Of this valley
evidently full OF excitement, who either had
despatched his foe, or had not yet taken
part in the battlc-probab the latter. for
he had lost none of his limbs-whosc mother
charged him to return cW his shield or
upon it, Or perchance he was some Achil.
! les, who had nourished his wrath apart, and
had now come to avenge or rescue his Pa,
! trocus. He saw the unequal combat from
afar--tor the blacks were nearly twice the
size of the reds--he drew near with rapid
pace till he stood on his guard within half
an inch of his comhatants then, watching
his opportunity he sprang upon the black
warrior, and commenced his operations near
the root of his right fore-lcg, leaving the
foe to select among his own members and
so there were three united for life, as if n
now kind Of attraction had been invented
which put all other locks and ccments tc
shame. | shonld not have wondered by
this time to find that they had their respect
i've musical bands stationed on some cm
incnt chip, and playing their national airs
| the while, to excite the slow and cheer the
dying combatants. was myself excited
somewhat, even rs if they had been mon
The more you think of it, the less the diner
cncc. hnd certainly there is not the fgh
recorded in Concord history, at least if il
the history of America, that will bear II mo-
mcnts comparison with this, whether for
the numbers engaged in it, or for the patri-
otism and hcroism displayed. For numbers
and for carnage, it was an AuStcrltA or
Dresden. Concord fight! Two killed on
the patriots side, and lMthcr Blanchard
wounded Why here every ant was a But.
trick" Fire for Gods sake, fire and
! thousands shared the fate of Davis and Hos
mer. There was not one hircling there.
have no doubt that it was n rrinciple they
foucht for M ,,uch os nnr ancestors and
not TO avoid n thrco.ncnnv tax ON fheir tea
and tbc rcsnlts If This hattie will bo ns i'm.
portgnt and ,nemorahle TO those whom il
coucrrn~ as tbozt Of tbe battle of Bunker
nm ot least
| fool, IN thc chin on which thc threc
have particularly described were STRUGGLING
corrinI Il into nv house and nloced # uE.
dor r ,n,rN,leT on nv uvindnwy Lii IN order
IN see thc issuc unlI;n, a microsconc
to tLc aforementioned red ont saw thnt
thou~h bc was nssiduousIv gnowin,r at the
near FORE leg having severed his remaiuing
fccler his own brcas, ve, eli torn nway'
the jaws ct the black warrior! whose breast
plate was apparently too thick Tor him to