The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-08-05
Eccentric Ants.

IL generally cnoOStS LOT tne Slte Oh aus
home an area of four or five feet square OF
sandy soil in the vicinity of shrubs and
flowers. The colony that settles in this
space is, as usual, composed of three Or
ders, the males, females and neuters, or
workers. The last order is divided into
three classes, viz: the yellow nurses and
feeders; the yellow honey makers, and
the black guards and purveyors. The
guards are constantly on duty parading
around the borders of the square, and pro-
| tecting it from the intrusion of any insect
enemy, such as wasp, spider or beetle.
While one body of the guards are thus
employed as soldiery, another division is
busy in foraging for flowers and aromatic
leaves. These, when found and cut into
manageable bits, Sre brought home to the
nets and deposited in heap in the center
of the space. This accomplished, the
round of duties devolving upon the guards
and purveyors seems to be concluded.
Now the little yellow nurses and feed
ers take up their line of labor by bearing
the sections of leaves and flowers from the
common heap down into the galleries and
cells of the nest underground The first
hall, entered by an aperture near the
southeast corner of the square, leads to
small excavation, across which is spread
web like that spun by spider, but divid-
ed into squares about one-fourth of an
inch across. In the center of each one of
these squares sits yellow honey maker, a
helpless prisoner by reason of its enormous
abdomen or honey-sack, which is distended
to twenty times the size of the rest of its
body, and renders locomotion impossible.
The nurses and feed rs wait upon the
honey -makers, keeping them constantly
supplied with flowers and pollen. From
this material the honey makers distil
honey by some process analogous to that
of the bee, filing their abdomens with the
delicious sweet until there is room for no
more. What disposal is then made of the
honey is as yet unknown. 1t is suggested
that the honey-makers may be killed when
their sacks are once filled; and again it is
surmised that they discharge their honey
into prepared receptacles, and continue
the process of elaboration indefinitely.
As in the case of bees, the store of honey
serves as food for the colony.
The Mexicans are very fond of this ant
honey, considering it delicate article of
food. They also manufacture it into an
agreeable drink and use it as remedy for
disease
The Ecit0ns are the most ferocious of all
the vast tribe of ants. They feed upon
other animals and spend their lives roam
ing about in great companies like bands OF
armed and blood-thirsty pirates, destroy
ing every defenseless creature that comes
in their way. To MIR. Bates, who spent
eleven years investigating the fauna of the
Amazons, we are indebted for much of our
knowledge of this interesting genus. He
discovered ten different species in South
America, eight of which were then new to
science. The giant among the Eeitons is
the Il. rapar, the largest class Of its work
ers measuring half an inch in length
This species march in single file when out
on marauding expeditions and do not
travel in very large companies. They
chiefly plumber the nests of a bulky and
defenseless ant of the genus Formica and
are generally seen on their excursions
laden with the mangled bodies of their
prey.
The Eciton legiOnis, much smaller
species, was found by Mr. Bates only on
the sandy wastes of Santarem. When bent
on a raid it moves in broad columns made
up Of thousands of individuals. One
morning Mr.. Bates observed an army OF
these little bandits eagerly at work ravag-
ing the nests Of IA large species of the
F0rmicR. They had run mines into the
ground from eight TO ten inches in depth,
and in this way had reached the habita-
tions of their victims. Fast as they could
spring they We're now bringing out the
dead and dismembered remains of the
Formic9, and distributing the spoil
among the carriers for transport to their
own depots. Some were engaged lifting
out the bodies, others were tearing them
in pieces Of portable size, while others
again seized each as much as it could
column.
Mr.. Bates himself dug into the nests of
the Formica with trowel, being anxious
to examine the condition of things. The
Ecitons took advantage of his assistance,
rushing into the breach he had made,
snatching every grub, cocoon and Formica
eXhumed and even tearing them from Mr.
Bates fingers, so that he had difficulty in
securing a few entire specimens. The
regular system of cooperation upon which
the Ecitons labored in this work of muir
der and rapine excited the amazement of
their keen-eyed observer. In about two
hours the nests of the Formica were COM
pletely ri1ed, and the body Of freebooters
retired TO their hive, which was situated in
the base of termitarium of the white
ants
The Ecit0n hdn2dtd and the b. drepdn
Oph0ru are the species most commonly met
with in the forests of the Amazons, and so
much resemble each other that it is hard
to distinguish them. Yet the one species
keeps entirely separate from the other, the
two having no interest in common, and
never intermingling. They travel in
dense columns, uniting countless numbers
Their approach is always indicated by the
twittering of tlocks of plain feathered
birds can't thrushes) that make great havoc
of the advancing hordes. On the appear
ance of these Ecitons the lower orders of
animals are stricken with terror, as it is
impossible for most of them to escape
Slowmoving spiders, ants of other species,
caterpillars and larvae of insects fall easy
victims. The column, from three to four
deep, Moves steadily forward, clearing the
ground of animal matter, living or dead,
as it goes along. Should mass of decay
ing wood sheltering a quantity of larvae be
encountered, the ants concentrate large
force upon it, and every hole and crevice
is explored and rifed On meeting with
a wasps' nest they cut it to pieces in no
time, regardless of the rage of its owners,
and leave not larva, pupa or young one
behind.
Mr.. Bates was never able to track these
Ecitons to their home. Whenever OBJ
served they were on the march. One day
he saw procession extending from sixty
to seventy yards in length, and yet neither
the van nor the rear was in view The
main column was accompanied by what
might be called line of couriers that ran
backward and forward, seeming to hold
the members of the army in communica-