The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-06-26

Plants Protected by Insects.--One of
the most curious forms of defence
known is afforded by a Recently dis
covered class of plants, which, being
stingless themselves, are protected by
stinglng ants, which make their home
in the plant and defend it against its
enemies. OF these the most remarkable
Is the bull's-horn acacia described by
the late Mr. Belt in his book, "rhe
Naturalist in Nicaragua"), shrubby
tree with gigantic curved thorns, from
which It's name Is derived. These
horns are hollow and tenanted by ants,
which bore hole In them, and the
workers may be seen running about
over the green leaves. If u branch is
shaken, the ants swarm out of the
thorn and attack the aggressor with
their stings. Their chief service to the
plant consists III defending it against
leaf-cutting ants, which are the great
enemy Of all vegetation In that part Of
America. The latter form large under
ground nests, and their work of de-
struction consists in gathering leaves,
which they strip to form heaps of ma
terial, which become covered over
with u delicate white fungus, on which
the larv8 Of the ants are fed, so that
literally they are Il colony Of mush-
room growers. The special province Of
the little singing ants, which live in
the thorn of tue acacia, is, therefore,
to protect the leaves Of the shrub from
being used by the leaf-cutters to make
mushroom beds. Certain varieties of
the orange tree have leaves which are
distasteful to the leat-cutters, this prop
erty Of the leaves thus forming means
Of defence. Other plants are unac-
countably spared by thcm---grass, for
example, which, IL brought to the nest,
is at once thrown out by some ant in
authority. The bulls horn acacia, in
return for the service rendered by the
stinging ants, not only affords them
shelter in its thorns, but provides them
with nectar secreted by glands at the
base Of its leaves, and also grows for
them small yellow pear-sllapeu bodies,
about one-twclfth OF an inch In length,
ut the Tip of some Of its leaflets, which
they use for food. These little yellow
bodies are made up of cells containing
protoplasm rich in oil, and afford the
insects All excellent food. When the
leaf untolds, the ants may be seen rum
ming from one lea1let to another, to see
If these little yellow bodies are ripe;
and If they are ready to be gathered
they are broken up by the ants ana
carried away to the nest in the thorn.
Several small birds, also build their
nests in the bull's-horn acacia, thus
escaping from predatory ant which is
capable Of killing young birds. The
trumpet tree, another plant Of South
and Central America, Is also protected
by standing army of ants, and, like
the aforementioned acacia, grows for
its protectors small food bodies contain
Ing oil but instead of sccrcting nectar
III Its leaves IL harbors a small Insect
(coccus) whose sweet secretion Is much
relished by the ants. DR.. Bcccari men,
tons an epiphytal plant growing on
trees In Borneo, the seeds of which
germinate, like those of the mistletoe.
on the branch of the tree; and the seed
ling stem, crowned by the cotyledons,
grows to about al inch in length, re-
naming III that condition until Il GER
tain species Of ant bites mole in the
stem, which then produces II gall-likc
growth that ultimately constitutes the
home Of the ants, If the plant is not
fortunate enough to be bitten by an
ant 1t dies. These ants, then, protect
their plant home by rushing ticrcely
on intruders, and thus arc preserved
the sessilc white flowers which, in this
plant, arc developed on the tuber-like
DOuy