Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-05-16
The Potato Bug-How he Makes a
Ladder.

A near neighbor of ours is an amateur ento-
mologst. Perceiving that bugs-from the
chinch bug in the wheat field to the humbug
that builds a trellis of lightning rods around
the farmers houses-are the greatest enc mics
of the industry of this country, he has for the
past two or three seasons devoted himself to
the study of bugs. His latest discovery should
induce Congress to appoint him commissioner
to take bottle of Colorado beetles to the Paris
Exposition and the beetle would be sure to
bring around his neck to America a first class
medal. Let our neighbor speak for himself
He says:
"Mr. Darwin says that there is more intelli-
gence encased in the head Of an ant than can
be found in like quantity of matter anywhere
in the universe. | think | can show that the
Colorado beetle is the Solomon among insects.
Finding these very numerous in my garden
, the present Spring, determined to make
some experiments; caught great number, put
| them in long necked quart bottle, thrust in
some tender potato leaves, intending to OBJ
serve the deposit and Matching of the larvae.
| But the bugs did not like their accommoda-
tions, and began to crawl up the sides of the
| bottle. None of them appeared to get up
more than three or four inches when an unfor-
| tuuate slip brought them down again. The
| bugs then held council, and were evidently
| celebrating. Presently one of the largest
| took his position at the bottom of the bottle
head upward; second bug mounted on the
| top of the first head upward then a third
took still higher position Not long, and
| there was simultaneous movement; the
| loose bugs at the bottom of the bottle began
1 1t, he. 81, al, e.I ID of
those that composed the upright column, and
| in less time than is required to tell it, it
| reached the top of the bottle; each ascending
bug resting himself on the head of the bug be-
| low him. The purpose was manifest. The
| culprits were attempting to break Jail. | re-
moved the piece of pasteboard | had laid on
| the top of the bottle and watched the result
| Though il was quite easy for the loose bugs to
climb up on the ladder made by the united
bodies of their companions and thus escape,
| l did not see how it was possible for those
that composed the ladder TO obtain their lib
erty. But the bugs knew exactly how this
could be done. Those getting out of the bot
tie did not forget their benefactors within.
The chain vas extended on the outside of the
bottle, each bug with its head downward. in-
terlocking it's foreclaws with the posterior
limbs of the bug below it. The chain was
welded and linked together and continuously
from the lowest bug in the inside, to the low
es I bug on the outside of the bottle Finally
che line on the outside reached the ground
and there the bugs began to form in line with
a firmer footing Iobserved that the bug line
in the inside of the bottle was now detached
from its side it swung loose like string and
either through the greater weight of the line
on the outside, or the crawling movement OF
the bugs that composed it, the entire line in
the inside of the bottle, bugs and all was
drawn up and out; every bug got out except
two. The whole chain, if stretched straight
could not have been less than 24 feet ia length.
No Jail bird in endeayoring to esespe has ever
shown more wisdom than the potato bug.
/ ENrnMoI oGIST