Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-07-16

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Students of natural history might
have witnessed q spectacle. of, no or
dinary interest had they been present
at Mosquito, asfew miles distant from
Marybourough, on Saturday last, says
tho NJ. and d.. Advertiser (Australia)
Of April 8. The sight was that ofa-ii
battle between two opposing families
of the ante species !; and, having watch
ed the conflict for q considerable time,
We can ssfely ysthat itwas one, of the
most singular} disturbances of the kind
on record IN the colony. Our attention
was drawn TO the spot by observing q
small crowd Of persoas n assemhled to.
gether, who were evidently very much
interested III whit wa va going On. The
scene Of the battle st~as soa tho as1ope
Of q hill near Penny and .Clausen's 8
crushing machine, and when we arrived
it was raging in all its fury. The com
batants on one side were black ants of
the smallest size, and to compare the
two, the rcd ones were about three
times as axgosand powerful IS the black
ones. But tho black outnumbered the
rcd by millions, and at that stage were
rapidly gaining the upper hand and
becoming masters of the field. The
ground for many yards around was
strewn with the dead, "snall and great, -
Of: both armies ); and on tracing the
line Of battle to one portion of it rath-
er isolated from the central scene of
action, wo discovered comparatively
hugh masses of dead bodies lying to-
gether in promiscuous confusion. It
was evident that the fight had COM
menced at this point, which was near
the stump of a tree, the stronghold of
the rcd ants and it also appeared as
if it had been carried on for some
days, and that the red had repulsed
the black from their holes, for the dead
there showed every appearance Of
having been washed together, and all
traces Of the conflict except the bodies
were obliterated: BY rain. They were
then fighting at place several yards
removed from the stump, the line of
repulse7 apparently being toward tho
burrow of the black ants-this fully
100 yards of. However successful
the red tribe may have been at the
outset in beating back their assailants,
they were being gradually vanquished
by their smaller and blacker foes, and
no wonder, for fearful odds were against
them. The numbers of. the red were
limited and each of them had to fight
with ten or twenty black ants; some
times, indeed, one would be rushed by a
perfect army Of small. ants, which
would fasten to his legs, and. settle
upon every part Of his body, rendering
resistance hopeless and escape impossi-
BILE; yet he would not die before inflict-
ing fatal injury to some Of his viotors.
Now one red ant would struggle himself
free from it's aseailants, and attempt
to retreat, but only to rush into the
jaws of death in another part of the
battle field. Then another would run
to the assistance of AIRED comrade in
distress, when both shared the com.
mon fatt. Thus the conflict was
waged all the time terrific slaughter
was going carnage as serious in
the world of ants as any recorded in
the Fifteen Decisive Battles" and
in that war among the lowe.
orders in the scale of nature, which
m unreAecting mind might look upon
without seeing anything to wonder al
-one* could almost imagine he saw
the display of ss much pluck and heroism
as was exhibited by the hosts of Greece
On the plains of Troy. IT was most
interesting to zee the movements and
counter-movements of the contending
forces the wheeling, advance, and
retirement and return of the little black
squadrons, and the still more furious
and desperate charges of the red
legions. The excitement energy, and
activity on both sides was wonderful to
behold. But the overpowering num-
bers Of the black ants completly pre-
cluded tho possibiltyaof victory on
the part of the red ones. Thousands
were in the field ready to step into
the vacant ranks, and millions more
were On the march from the burrOw.
The line, 100 Yards between the place
Of fighting and their fortification, was
black and thick and ,Wtllilo some which
had taken pafttin the 1eturn-
ing, still more formidable reinforce
ments wero coming upat full speed with
"allthe pomp and circtlmetan of war y
It wouldtake too long tosdescribe mapy
other features of this extraordinary
battle, which would not fail. to strike
an attentive observer land this hurried
account Of = somewhat important ep-
isotle in the natural history of the
district must be concluded with the
statement that toward evening the red
ants were utterly routed and only q
few stragglers escaped to tell the tale ;
but for hours afterward the black con-
qurerors swarmed about, no doubt to
celebrate the conquest in manner
becoming to an ant community.