The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-10-28
White Ants.

White Ants.
Hese remarkable insed 3 have hsle in
cotpon with the small, BLACK nYhnces
Of e same name with whic we RE so
fa] liar, though they RESI- mbl them
SLY tly in their social chhract and
-htDks. Scarcely less, va erful Il the
bee in their social organization, lney infer
from that insect inasmuch as the labors of
the latter are attended with no evil to
mankind, but are, on the contrary, pro-
ductive of an eminently agreeable and
useful article of food, while the white ant.
SO far as naturalists have yet discovered, is
'upssel.aetisa. q .sa.hiae hut extensive and
unmitigated mischief.
These insects, live in societies, each of
which consists Of countless number Of
individuals, the large majority of which
are wingless. TwQMdlviduals only
a in each soG tie H. male aaa gals e.
yocisty are sbsgke9s tf tie lpeJle94A-
'individuals, stIrunnde With II the re:
spect andsconsidt raiok and 1seeiving all
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., die to sover-
eigns. ESsnpted Il S aii Participation
in the coqfton ind1atry ofsthe society,
they areAf Wholly devoted o. increase
and multiplication. ssThey ass distin-
guiyAed from the inferior ufenlbdrs of the
soeisty by the possession. D. organs& Wis
ion ID the fora Of aarge and sOl hent
eyes, their subjects: Being all u them
:, These i.tta llisasd hs,t classes,
the workers aiEfhg aot The work
ers are by far the m6fn Hn4erous members
Of the'societ4, feing bout q hundred times
greater in usfI&hef oilers. Their
bodies also ne II 5those of the
soldiers, tiss latter. bsHEA ain smaller
than thosepGth4.soyera3 The entire
industrial siaees % aety is per-
formed lEwotkers. N1h2 erect the
commons atati6 and keiHlk in repair.
They fSl&E and scnnect prQvisions for
the society. They ataend upon the sover-
eignae.and carry Away the eggs of the
queen ss fast as lhe deposits them, to
chambers which they previously prepare
for them. They keep these chambers in
order, and when the eggs are Matched they
perform thepart Of nurses to the young,
feeding them and waiting upon them until
they have attained sufficient growth to
wait upon themselves. The soldiers are
distinguished by their long and. large
heads, armed with long, pointed mandi-
bles. Their duty, as their title implies, is
confined to the defense of the society and
oftheir. common hsb N 1hen attacked
By ssSatss' . the ,ropiens !.
with the architectural skill of these small
bdfldefs must 1pEauses m wondermsasbefore
the habitations which they erect. The
insect itself is scarcely quarter of an
inch in length, and yet in the space Of
thgeesor four Years they manage to build
| ins height Ehese sNDnd krfaE structures
are shaped like sugar-loaf or cone, and
when first erected consist of naked clay,
but in the fertile clipam: where the white
| ant lives the seeds Of heritage transported
by the wind are soon deposited upon
them andttlnys IRE speeHbvypvefA with
tie same Negetation Is the surrounding
soil; and When in the dfy AhAs warm
season this vegetation IS scorched they as
sumo the appearance of vast hay-cocks.
| The interior of these mounds themselves
| is of. most curious and complicated
strnctufs, consisting M q vaffeey of cham.
bers and corridors termed with the most
consummate at and adapted in shape and
size to the respective purposes to which
they are asslgned'in the general economy
of the colupy. - 3-sI
The rdya chamber appropriated to the
sovereig1s engtbsses much of the atten
tionanf skill Of tf1eirindustrious subjects
tits generally placed about the center OF
the base of the mound at the level of the
surrounding ground. II has the shape
that architects call 4 suFmounted dome
and its magnitudeis pfoportioned to that
OF the king and queen to whom it is ap;
propriated. Its floor is perfectly level and
formed of clay about an inch thick. The
roof is solid, well turned arch. increas
ing in thickness from I quaAet ofan inch
at the sides where itsrests UPON the floor.
The ingenuity displayed by these in
sects in making arrangements for theil
own comfort is only equaled by the in
dustry with which they destroy the prop
egtv Of others. They will bore their way
through anything that happens to lie in
their path. :. They penetrate with the
greatest ease into trunks and boxes, ever
though made of mahogany, and destroy
papers of anything else that is contained
in them. In the warmer parts of.equinoc.
tial America it is rare to find any papers
that are at all old, so greedily are they de-
voured by these marauders. In one nigh
they will devour all the boots and shoes
that are left in their way. Cloth, linen
or books are equally to thstr taste, bu
they. will not eat CLIFTON. Whey entirely
consumed a collection of insects made il
India. In fact, scarcely anything comes
aamiss with them bat, metal and'stones.
Tits even asserted that'the superb resi-
dence of the Governor-General of Cal
cutta, that cost the East India Company
such immense sums, was almost under
II cd 1,xr% no al g Of
not content with the dom nions .Nlev haE,
lew on terra fs7nd, encouTaged by theil
success, the white ants have also aimed a
the sovereignty Of the oeean, and once hat
the hardihood to attack even a British
: ship of the line.' In spite of thy efforts O
. the commander and his vlgilaAt crew the,
boarded her, and having got possession
handled her 50 roughly Chat when brough
into port; NO longer tit. for service, sh'
was obliged to be broken up.
The attacks of. these little animals ar,
so insidious that it is impossible, to be too
much on guard against them. In attack
ing a board they will sometimes, insteat
of perforating the. surface, preserve j
quite whole and eat away all the insid
except few fibers which hold the sur
faces together. so that although it may ap
pear solid to the eye it will not weigl
more than two sheets of pasteboard- o
equal dimensions. The owners of ship
which bring sugar from the West Indie
complain that they so swarm with thes
4 ants thss they :caHpQtsget rid Of them ez
4 cept by sinking theI vessehzl shallow
water.-Haqper's Weekly.
81 - i'@E..- =.
y - The German Solaier.
The, Countess Won Bothmer writes
Men in Germany are rarely seen out Q
uniform; when they are it is greatly
their disadvantage. va such is the incor
sistency of human nature that nothing
affords young officer so much delight a
to .elude the vigilance, Of, HIS ,Toryesetzte
and appear at a picnic or an excursion
IN csotl. In. Germany, where every on
is soldier first and man afterwar'
livery much afterwardl the freedom gram
| ed to our plungers and fiskers to prone
made along Picadilly or down the shad,