Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-03-09
An Ant Battle.

LEU IANduCN illC oOululoUS VI llS DidCh
colony which for three years past I had
had a kind of supervision over. ] had
often brought plants covered with aphides
the immortal Linneus called these
aphides the ants cows-and stuck the
plants into the earth around their dwell
ing, and had given them sugar, and had
driven and carried toads from their nests
which were devourlng them. In short, I
had become very much interested in and
quite attached to this colony, but l was
powerless to aid them now. could only
look on in wonder and establishment
A yard or more around the foot Of the
tree the battle was raging, and 70 place
for the sole Of my foot without crushing
the combatants. l found in every in.
stance red ant pitted against black;
sometimes two red ones against one black,
In which case the black was soon dis
patched. For three hours watched the
conflict; all around me the combatants
locked in close embrace. rolling and
tumbling about, never separating until
one was killed, and often the dead victim
had fastened with so firm hold on his
adversary that it was with the Utmost
difficulty that he could free himself from
his death grip.
The sun went down. and the gathering
darkness compelled me to leave my posi-
of observation, but as long as I could see,
the conflict was as fierce as when i first
beheld it. I now picked up several of
the warriors, but SO intent were they in
their terrible struggle that my handling
did not divert them in the least. I car
ried several pairs into the house, placed
them under large oval glass (the cover
of a fernery) on handicapped table, and
watched the conflict.
l found that had ten black and ten
red warriors, not engaged in a general
melee, but each intent upon killing his
own adversary. 1t was fully an hour be-
fore the first warrior was killed--a red
has at last dispatched his black antsgon-
ist; and not satisfied with killing him, he
tears his legs from his body and sewers
his anten19. After convincing himself
that he is really dead, he looks around at
the other warriors, which are still closely
locked in their dreadful embrace, and
now he hurries from one couple to an
other, as if to see where his services are
most needed. He finds couple whose
struggles are nearly over--a black is fast
ened with death grip to his adversary's
fore-leg.
The red hero soon sewers the head
from the black soldier, and leaves it
hanging to the leg of his dying comrade,
He now goes to another couple who are
still tiercejy contending; he seizes the
black, and now all three roll and tum NE
about together; but the black is soon
killed. and, as in the other case, his
mandibles are locked on his adversary:s
leg. But this time our hero does not
sever the head from the black soldier but
leaves his comrade to free himself as best
he can, while he goes to the assistance Of
third less fortunate brother, where the
black seems to have the better Of his an
tagonist. Here long struggle ensues,
and now another red soldier has dis.
patched his opponent, and he comes to
the struggling three, moves about them
in an excited manner, with his mandibles
stretched wide apart, waiting his oppor-
tunity to fasten them on the black; he
finds his chance, seizes him between the
'horax and the abdomen, ard sewers the
body in two; but the dying black does not
relax his hold of the first antagonist, and
they die together.
now leave the fierce combatants for
the night. In the morning find that
every black is killed, and four red
soldiers are dead. and two cannot long
survive. The legs and antenna and mu-
tilated bodies of the dead warriors are
strewn about, every fragment showing
conspicuously ON the white marble. Out
of the twenty, fourteen are dead and two
nearly Efeless--only four have survived.
Iput some drops of water and moistened
sugar under the glass for the surviving
heroes; two find the water and drink. I
now repair to the battlefield. The
! struggle is over-not a black to be seen,
but column of the red invaders is
emerging from large cavity that leads
to the numerous galleries and under
ground chambers of these industrious
blacks, and each invader is carrying a
larva or pupa. I followed the column,
which is from four to FIVE inches in
width, to the nest OF red ants before
mentioned. There was wide opening in
the side of this nest, down which they all
disappear and leave their burdens, and
again start for more plumber. All day long
these powerful NAL auders are engaged in
this work. they carry larva or pupa
carefully, and drop it on being disturbed.
But what does this mean? Every little
while red warrior comes out with q
black bundle, which he carries as care
fully as he does the pupa or larva. I
stop him to enquire into the matter;
he drops his bundle, which Immediately
unrolls, and 10! it is lively black ant,
apparently unburt, and to my eye no way
different from the warrior with whom he
was so tiercely fighting.
The books which I have read on this
subject inform me that "the red ants
carry the rupe and the Larvae of the
blacks to their nests, where they rear
them for slaves, but they never capture
the adult ant, for it would not stay in the
new home if they did" But these ants
certainly carried a number of adult
blacks to their nest, and I am quite sure
they did not run away, but staid and
helped to nurse and feed the iarvae. l
captured several of the red marauders
with their victim and place them under
the glass. The reds now pay no atten-
ton to the blacks, but simply try to make
their escape. I take larv@ and lay them
on a leaf, and put them under the glass
also and place moistened sugar in their
reach. Very soon the blacks are feeding
the helpless Larvae.
remove the glass cover; the reds i'm
med1ately run away, but the blacks stay
and continue to sip the moistened sugar
and feed the young. hold magnify
ing glass over them. and find the little
larv@ raise up their heads and open their
mouths to be fed, very much like young
birds. | now take the larvae, together