, 1874-09-26

AAHiGUlsK1NAA AH4Hs
Such marvellous etorioa aro told Of tho BaEacl-
" Of antg TINT ono ls prepared to hcar almost
anything concerning t,oir intellectual achioyo-
mos,ts hut, when VIC aro told that thoro s n
spcclos living down it, 1'oxas, that actually yowu,
roapp, aud l,iyos grain for i.H winter ,iac, tLo
eiaton,ont Is almost too much for h,l11n1l crod,-
Nty. However, no hayo 1t cn tho authority Of
Dr. Gideon Lincccnm, aatudent Of science whose
observations nro nccoptcd by tho nnyants aB
cnrofnl nnl trustworthy. III recent pnpor
communicated BY him to tho Smithsonian In-
ntttuto, and published, by permission OF Prof.
fIonry, III tho Na!,i''a!ist, thoro arc many In
toroatlng particulars Of this aingular ant which,
from itB devotion to huBbnu'1ry, n tor1lod tho
Agricultural AMI. Its fciontllo name Is MR.
mica mole efacicns.
Thls mt llyos in nopulous communities, 1nalda
paved cittos conatructs roads, md sustai,ss largo
military forces For tho first yoar and 1lnlf
after colony is founded. ito oporatiou are con-
ductcl underground. Tho anta then begin to
appear above THO aurfeco, mud begin, to build
All Srass, hefeaGc,. anl other obntructions aro
c1oarod n,fny to tho distance Of or foot around
tho ontrauco to tnotr city; and n circular pave
mont. consisting Of pretty hard crust, about half
grit, This pavement is uometi1noa IS foct in d.
an.a.er. 70 avoid tho inundation whicl, would DO
likely to overflow thia pavement in tho rny aoa-
son, "nt !esst T. sIx months previous 70 tho coming
Of tho rain thoy commence tho erection Of 4
mound or pyramid, which rises n foot or moro
from the contro Of tho payetnens.
Tho mound is occupied with ioatly-constr,1ct-
cd coils. in Which tho "oggs, young ones, mud
thotr btorea Of gran aro carried in tlno OF ralny
Bcasons." Tho pavement IN kept c}oar OF oyory
growing herb, except grain-bearing grass, tia s
4lrtstida st'-fc!d. When ripe, this grain is har-
Foated, tho chaf Tonoycd and thon 1t iB stored
In tho dry cc!ls Tho "'grain from savotn. otIaor
species Of gra,H, as vol as socds from various
mud garnorcd. Dr. Lincocum declares that tho
ants eyen Bow tho graIn OF tho Aribtidn stricla
which lio calls ant-Eico, Despite their rrccsu-
tionH. lo aayaaomotimea, during rainy Seasons, tho
tho wnter penotrates into thcir grarares mud
sets thclr aeeda to Bprout!ps. Then there III
turmoil In tho colony. : All the damaged grain is
brought ont tho first flno day, and exposed to
the aun. When night comes, ovory scoa that
Lincccum ntatea tl>at ono day ho saw t1.ese ar,ta
"hnyo out on fat rock as much as d gallon OF
wheat, summing" ilo waschoa tho operation Of
its return to tho coils agai which tho al,ts &C.
complished ut nightfall Unjust five minutes:
Long Point. Tox..-th6 place whcro ho has
studied theso anta,-thero was but ono OF
kieir c'tiea within a milo Of the town. This
was situated on tho sumuait Of a neatly barron
intcrfcyc with tho peculiar industry Of tho little
agricu1turists. Their plantations Of aut-rlco
woro fourialing. in u regular circlo insido Tho
pavement, md thero wore "patchoa OF tho samo
Ind doubtless boen planted there BY some OK
pcrioncod mt, for it lad noatly bcon cleared Of
all othor vegetables" Tho country surrounding
Long Polat wss everywhere. but In this single
heavy tnEIf Of grass, through which tho ants
could not travol aud they woro taorofora coa-
fInod to their Binglo city. but when, In tho
course or couple of years, path paganG
ncar thoir pavement had got well troddcn, thoy
its borders. I'hrco yoara after their cities wcro
geen rB,ng ut intervals Of 30 yardB, for tho dis
tanco of q milo along this path.
As no 1laSo eaid, for tho first cightceu monthH
aftcr q city IL begun, its builders keep them-
tint tiuo thoy hayo gainod suhclent strongth to
Blstain themselves it tho struggle for oxistpnce
with other trihca Of their raco, ind dare an
nnunce thoir Intentions in tho world above.
tloy assemble in sHnsnls from the surrounding
cities, n,iu celebrate grand marsiagc-fcs
sShlch continues for three or four hOurs. Tho
Qneonn. OF tlo colony thcn> erroada her wings,
und 1iias With tho wind until rho is tired,
or is thrown to the ground by cotutcr-curront.
She now runs about in eager hasto to no.
1cct & proper location wlero to lay the
foundations Of tho city. This sllo does by dig
ging small hole, from which, after it las rcncil-
Cd certain dopth, sho wlthlrawB and dclib-
orasely bItea OF ler wings with her Bharp me,,li-
blos. She thon renews her digging until shn han
mado oil excavation G or inclcH Geop, with q
nnall coli ut tho bottom. in Which she onsconcou
l'rself, cioaoa tho aperture. mud deposits twenty
or thirty cggB. Tho inmates Of thosc cggH nro
all workers. aud, when they hnyo reached mgtr-
rty, thoy sot shout tho ]abors Of tloir lives.
The Qucon kocpa them constantly employed,
while sho adds to their numbers. When her
colony il humorous enough, they commence
their outor Qualifications and tho cultivation Of
thotr fields Of GRIM.
Or. 1incccnm dosoriben ono Of tile MARRIAGE
festivals OF tho Agricultural nnts which lie wt-
messed in 1858. a space Of ground, 107 yartls in
Length and ~ Yards II II width was covered With
the tiny creatures. Thcae caronan1a arc 40 dis
1olnte aud exhanBting as to provo fatal to tho
1naio ants. aud thoy ORC always loft dead on tho
field: GU visiting tho piaes tho morning ntter
tio dobaueh in question, Dr.. Lincec,m found
rcyolcrs into tho lttlo gullics III tho rond, and
aitogothor thoro could not hayo boon loeS than
b''shel Of them." Not n foma!e dead or living,
Wap to DO seen on tho ground. Tlloy bud made
their eacapo, and countlcss llttto black pilos Of
earth in tho vicinity showed how busy they had
hcon during tho night, snaking excavations for
thofr accommodation. Did tho Queous NIL sur-
vlvo, tho earth would coon ho oyerEuu with their
progeny: pI,te And Naturo tahos care to prevent
ing pnckcd Tho dirt over tioul too tightly many
fall prey to auta Of other species, which hunt
tllom out aud nssasslnate them while many are
doyourod by birds, to whom they provo Il do
H1au LIVING.
Tho highest npot on tho glo.o inhabited by
human beings is tho Buddhist cloistor Of 11anle.
IN Thibet where tweuty-ono priests live at an
altitude OF 10000 feet. THIS monks Of st. Day-
nard, whose monastery is 8,117 foot high, aro
ff,f1 L.. 4r