Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-11-29
.p-gE -------~s 90
aANTS.

J. NET to day two struggling streams of
workers moving along hillside path,
one to, the other fro-black- bodied, six
legged, with most, determined aspect,
and an almost forbidding look Q forgot
to mention that there was magnifying
glass in my handy. Apparently each and
all were much pressed for time they
hurried along singly, none speaking to
his neighb0r, each seeming intent on his
own object, though the result was to be
common; each bearing his own burden,
not often helpful to others, self-concen-
trated, eager, bitter, obstinate, self-Willed,
narrow, cons cientious, ambitious. l fol
lowed them till reached disturbed ant
hillock, which had been lately over
thrown, and where the possessors were
repairing their home with the most yehe-
ment industry. ssEif0 I 1Ta1.. u'
Who directs them? Each seemed to be
going on his own hook, minding his own
business, hardly conscious of the exist
ence of any thing but himself" fright
fully in earnest" as Disraeli once said of
Gladstone. Yet the work was all in com.
mon. The community of goods, indeed,
seemed absolute No one had any per-
sOnal property whatever: house, stores,
eggs, everything belonged to all.
No one interfered with the rest; there
was apparently no chief, oyerlooker, or
director; yet the work went on apace-
the repairing and building up of the
ruined city with neatness and dis
patch" Sa IN & Sc
Some seized apellet of earth, or stone,
and dragged it backward up the steep
incline, using their hind legs to cling on
to rough places, while they hauled away
at a weight greater far than that of their
own bodies. Some hoisted a1oft in their
front arms, as it were, a stick, or piece
of grass, twice or even thrice their own
length, and moved forward bearing it in
the air. Each addition was placed in
what each considered the best place; but
the general form of the dome grew in a
curiously regular diminishing curve, as
If each bore the architects elevation in
his pocket Some of the workers were
making desperate efforts to move heavy
Ito them) beams of wood; but, after super
human exertions gave up the attempt
when clearly beyond their strength. If a
thing, however, was anyways within the
bounds of possibility, it was -wondrous
with what obstinate pertinacity they
rolled away from them, even to the
bottom of the hillock, again and again,
and begin once more to haul it up; tug
ging, lifting it over stones and under
sticks, tumbling over with their burden
on the other side of an obstacle which
they had scaled, and lying for q few sec
onds quite exhausted, yet never leaving
hold of their burden, and setting off again
undauntedly as soon as they recovered
breath. Occasionally two or more were
helping at task; but. they generally
seemed topreter working alone. + I &
The ant-hill was on d steep, rocky,
wooded hillside, pink with spikes of
heather, feathered with bracken, which
hung over the nest, while tall mountai
grasses, with bright, glazed red-and amber
stalks, sprang up through the moving
mound Of life. The August sun shone on
the pleasant spot; while through
the white stems of the birch l
could catch sight of the river running
at the bottom of the deep valley;
and the sound of the dashing water
among the stones far away came up with
a soft murmur to my mountain perch.
There was a. "suSurro" of wind among
the trees, the twitter of the autumn note
of bird, and the buzz and hum of insect
life lowered round; but the ants were all
silent; and the sort of low hiss which
arose from the collected workers resem-
bled the noise of London street more
than any other form of speech. The
rest of the world seemed wrapped in a
sort of lazy content in the soft, sunny
weather. but the ants did not seem to be
ENJOYING life any more than the men
whom one meets hurrying along the
Strand. s ES Il Iii sE 3
Probably Misrepresentation of beauti-
full view. is not facilitated by crawling
over grass and sand, with ones head close
to the ground! Besides, the faculty of
admiring scenery is not only the distinct
i've quality.of man, butts confined to a
very small educated section of them; and
DOUBT whether the ants are ever likely
to be educated into lovers of the pic
turesque; they are too hard headed, btlsi-
neSs-lke people. am sure they keep
tnelr sccount-oooks admirably, and have
always balance at their bankers, and,
that their stores are all labeled, and al
ways to be found at once on the right
shelves. ~
There is,s however, a softer side to otheir
characters: they are. warm friends and
allies, and assiduous nurses, carrying out
the eggs of the cummunity on fine days
to warm and comfort the unborn chill
dres, not their own, but the nations;
and,P ,Pif you; try to take ansegg awav, the
guardian will be cut to pieces rather than
Give up his charge to the foe. He is en-
during, brave, bold, ,enterprisings faithful
to his friends, cruel to his enemies.
His muscular power is astonishing,
He is said to be the strongest being of his
size alive. And as to his mind, III.
Quatrefages, an eminent French natural,