The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-05-21
THE ARMY ANTS.
How They Travel and How They SUBJ
sist on Their Travels-An Interesting
Sketch.

As general thing, ants are found in
settled communities, which change their
habitations rarely, and then for causes
not under their control. A remarkable
| exception to this rule is found in the
ecitonS, or army ants of Central Amer
lea. These, while existing in thor
oughly organized communities, num-
bering myriads if not millions, never
make permanent settlements, but are
constantly roaming about the forests in
vast multitudes, scourging the insect
world as the migrating armies of Attila
scourged the less warlike nations OF
Europe.
The travellers attention is usually
called to one of these predatory swarms
by the twittering of birds which follow
their course to feast on the flying in
sects which they scare up. Approach
ing, he will discover q dense body of
ants, in column three or four yards
wide and of enormous length, moving
rapidly and examining every nook and
corner where their game may hide.
The captured insects are speedily torn
to pieces and carried to the rear, or to
their temporary camp, by relays of
workers. On the fanks ard in advance
of the main army, smaller columns of
skirmishers are thrown out to flush the
insects they are in pursuit of, many of
which, in their terror, bound right into
the midst of the main column, to be
torn to pieces instantly. The greatest
catches occur in masses of brushwood.
Here the cockroaches, grasshoppers,
spiders and other insects take refuge
among the branches, while the ants are
occupying the ground below. But their
security is brief. In little while ex-
plorers are sent up, following every
branch and driving the refugees to the
ends of the tw1gs, to fly into the air
and be snapped up by the birds, or
drop among the throng of ants below.
In this dilemma the spiders alone have
any means of escape; they can sus-
pend themselves in mid-air and remain
in safety until their enemies have re-
tired from the bushes and passed on to
other conquests.
The individuals of this species of
ants are of various sizes, the largest
being about quarter of an inch
long, the smallest less than an eighth
of an inch. A much larger variety
pursue their prey in similar
manner, but vary their tactics some
what as occasion demands. When on a
general hunt, they spread their columns
over considerable breadth and sweep
everything before them, crickets, grass
hoppers, scorpions, centipedes, wood
lice, cockroaches, and spiders falling
almost certain prey. Exploring parties
are also sent up trees to look for nests
OF bees, wasps, and probably birds.
The moment prize is found the fact
is reported to the army below, and a col
umn is sent up to take possession. Mr..
Belt, to whom we are indebted for these
observations, and whose Naturalist in
Nicaragua gives more numerous and
valuable additions to the science of
natural history than any book of travel
since Wallace published the "Malay
Archipelago" describes these ants as
pulling out the larvae and pupe from
the cells of a large wasps nest, while
the owners were lowering about, DOW
erless, from the multitude of their in
vaders, to render any protection to
their young.
When hunting in solid columns, these
ecitons were found to be generally, if
not always, in search of the young of
another species of ants which make
their nests in fallen timber. When
log is found, the column spreads out
over it, searching all the holes and
cracks, the smallest individuals pursu-
ing the unfortunate hypoclineas to the
furthest ramifications of their nests.
The invaded ants rush out bearing their
young in their jaws, and are despoiled
of them SO quickly that it is quite i'm
possible to see how it is done. The
ecitons do not harm the mature hypo-
clineas, caring only for the larvae and
pup@, which are hastily borne to the
rear of their column. What they do
with their plunder finally does not ap-
pear. 1t would seem that they cannot
rear the young hypocllneas for slaves,
as certain northern ants do with their
prey, since no mention is made of any
such addition to the membership of
their communities.
When marching, these eciton armies
appear to be directed by numbers of
individuals, of larger size and
lighter color than the regular workers,
scattered at intervals of two or three |
yards. They stop often, and occasion
ally run back little and touch some of |
the other ants with their auteHne, as
though giving orders. At the head |
quarters there are individuals of still |
greater size and more ferocious aspect, |
which soon make any one molesting the
nest acquainted with the efficacy of |
heir enormous jaws. The temporary
resting places of these ants are usually |
N hollow trees or underneath large |
fallen trunks that offer suitable hollows. |
One which Mr.. Belt found in a hol- !
ow log, open at the side, must have
contained cubic yard of ants clustered |
n dense mass, like swarm of bees. |
And these were but a part of the whole |
as many columns were out
'ide, some bringing in the pupe of |
'ther ants, others the legs and dissected |
bodies OF insects captured on their |
oray. These incomers proceeded di- |
'ectly into the interior of the living |
mass through tubular passages, which |
we're kept open just as though it were |
ormed of inorganic materials. Like |
he hunting races of mankind, these |
predatory swarms are compelled to make |
requent removals to new hunting
grounds. The migratory columns are
asily known by all the common work
RS moving in one direction, the larve
nd pup@ of the community being
carried in their jaws.
Many observations and experiments
vere made by Mr.. Belt, testing the in
lividual intelligence of these wonderful |
reatures. Though inferior in some
espects to ants which hunt singly, he
Ioes not hesitate to place them at the
lead OF their order for intellectual and
..-l