The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1867-04-12
The Aut-LiOn,

Twas going into deep forest alone
on foot, with my blanket, and food, and
cooking utensils on my back. The day
was very hot, and the road seemed
very lonely and long. Just before
plunging into the woods, l passed over
piece Of land which some hunters fire
had burned over. Nothing was left
but here and there tall stump of a
tree, blackened by the FIRE and entirely
dead, and now and then great rock
which had its covering all burned off,
and it was left to be bleached in the
sun, and to be pelted by the storms.
Under the shadow of one of those huge
rocks l sat down to rest. Every bird
was still, and every leaf hung motion
less ON the trees, and the only sound to
be heard was the murmur of a distant
waterfall far away in the forest.
81 am now beyond the reach of men,
and almost beyond animal life. l can
not see living thing move. This is
solitude" Thus / m4sed, M
Just then l noticed something that
caused the sand to fly up from the mid
die of my foot path, and looking care
fully at it, l soon satisfied myself what
it was. 1t was small insect that had
burrowed down in the sand, and with
his tail or some other apparatus { could
not see what he was throwing up the
sand fast and thick. How it few in a
few minutes he had made for him a
hole about the size and depth of large
coffee cup, as nearly so as the dry sand
would take that shape. The sand was
dry in few moments, and of course
would very readily roll down into the
center. l had read of the creature, but
had never seen one before, He was g
little dark-looking fellow; and now he
put himself in the very center of his
den, and pushing himself into the sand
there was nothing to be seen but little
black horn, as it appeared to be, stick
ing out in sight. Itlooked as if it might
be the point of a small rusty needle
This was the ant-lion, and that was biz
den.
After the sand was dry, and the hun,
ter was still-buried in the sand, had
specimen of his skill and power. A
little red ant came running along, seeking
food for herself and her young. So she
climbed up on the rim of this sandy
cup, and peeped over to see if she could
see anything. Presently she seemed tc
suspect danger, and tried to scrabble off
Alas it was too late; the sands rolled
under her feet, and down she went tc
the bottom-when in an instant that
little black horn opened like pair O
shears, and clip, and the poor ant had
one leg cut off, Now she saw her danger
and struggled to mount up the sides
The lion did not move or show himself
He knew what he was about. And
now the poor thing struggles to clint
up; but one leg is gone and she finds il
hard work. But she has got almost tc
the top and almost out, when the sands
slip, and down she rolls again to the
bottom. Clip go the shears again, and
second leg is gone,
She now seems terrified beyond meas
ure, and struggles hard, but she get'
up but little way before she slips again
and another leg is off She now giyel
up the struggle, and the lion devour'
her in few minutes, and then, with 1
snap of his tail or paddle, throws th'
skin of the ant entirely out of the cup
and the trap is now set for another. A
lfy crept down tosee what was smelling
so good there; and again clip and BIZ
wing was off. and he was a. SECOND
course Of the dinner,
found several more such dens, anC
around them lay the skins of the dead
but the inside looked clean and limo