The Red Cloud chief., 1881-08-25

fOrmicar extended over several square
feet. and had many entrances The
pauic-strickcn blacks. instead OF IA .ins
the enem r, lied in all directions. many
OF them carr ing young ants. and others
pupE. But the army Of the invaders
ann thick and fast. aud 20 spread
owe the entire formicary. Sone were
stationed 1t the openings, while others
passed within, aud now each black that
attempted u escape with a pupa or
Young aut was Immediately seiZcl and
the youny wfested from il. The in
vaders, instead OF returning home with
the booty, carried IL back into the tor
micarv. This unusual proceeding on
tiuucd for about an hour. The adui!
blacks were driven out. The invaders
had resolved TO r.ta n thi- eligible stlt-
ton and make it Their future home. 4
large number OF them returned To the
old home. aud each seized a slave aud
carried it TO the captured home OF the
blacks. They seemed u he in too much
haste 10 spend time IN maklnLthe slaves
ComprchendtLIs new move The slaves
crouched before their masters and relied
thcmseiy yes in a ball. ready to be ear
ricd. In this position they were trans
ported as easily Is pupa or llrva. The
transported slaves BEGAN at once To
close The numerous entrances leadil.
- the chambers Or their yanquishcd
relatives.
As darkness approached all laboi
ceased. The divided inhabitants tooS
their repOse IN bOIh formicirics. The
following morning by eight clock thew
were out in full force. The line ex-
tended from one formicary To the other
an IN sroken column sixty feet in
length and from six To eight inches in
width. All the invaders that were 90
ing toward the captured home were
laden with burdens. Some were carry
ing young slaves. Others pupae and CO.
coons, and 4 large number OF queen.
were being tran spOrtef, which by this
time had become Will az members OF
the community. aud no longer had To
be Dragged b. the ~autennm o. LEGS. but
were rolled in balls aud carried III the
strong mdnd b.eS Of the pOricrS. Some
of the slaves were still carried. bat
most of them seemed b. this time 10
understand what was going on. and
were in the ne carr, ing burdens. But
| saw very few on the return line; APP
p%arently the command had been given
for the slaves 10 remain 81 the captured
home and close the numerous doors
and make the necessary changes in the
interior to suit their masters. The
move was completed in less than three
days. rs III this case they had little or
no mining to retard them.
The poor. homeless blacks that bad
been driven out mostly congregatei
about twenty feet distant under a tree.
and had sccrcted their young beneath
fallen leaves. IL was pitilul TO see a
small detachment start out To recon
hotter their late home. They APP
preached with great caution, AMI, hay
M discovered the state of affairs, hast
cncd back. II one was caught by the
outside guard he was almost sure TO be
killed.
Usually. when the blacks have been
driven from home. they return as soon
aS the invaders cease the alta k. SO
this colony RENAME /! huddled together
for several days, rs if waiting Tor the
cnomv to leave. Atlast. becoming salts
fed that they did not intend 10 leave.
the blacks moved about thirty feet
farther and commenced mining into
one of their oil deserted formicaries.
After the invader, were well settled
in their conquered home. | noticed
some s,ngular-looking ants which had
been left i'll the Old lormicary. Bringing
NV lens 10 al me, | found that these
antS-bClh masters and saves were
covered with parasites. a single speci-
men looked like a mere sDcck, scarcely
Wis bic To the unaSSistcd e e, but so
numerous were they on many of the
ant that il gave them the appearance
OF being covered with VIII tie fungus. |
supplied them with sugar AMI hones, OF
which the slaves partooE freely and
with which they fed the infested
masters. The war spirit was not yet
~qucnchcd in these rtd marauderS. They
walked about with extended mandib,eS,
ready To fight whatever might come in
their way. They attacked the lies and
bees that We're attractedto the honey a
lercely as ever.
VIII lie | was watching these ants and
wondering at their sagacity, nv atten-
ton was attracted To two ants APP
preaching the old home: they were both
ave -makers. and one was walking
backward and leading the other h. the
tip of the antennp. as il AFRAID % con-
termination. She led her up the little
hillock and left her near the door. The
n thus left was infested with a few
paras ties, not Wis bic without tho aid of
the lens. She made no attempt 10 re-
turn with her conductor. and soon dis
peared within what had now become q
laZaretto.
Ny attention was now wholly direct
ed to the conductor, who had started
toward home. She soon stopped To
make her toilet-ruboing herself on tho
ground aud then staining nearly up
right and passing her iorelcgs over her
body. After going on n lew feet. shp
stopped and repeated the performance.
After completing it To her sat sfaction.
she soon reached the outer boundaries
of home, where she was stopped first
bv one and hen another of her COM
raleS. In some instances they held
their antennr together for the space of
a minute or two, as il converSing;
others merely touched the antennr and
passed along. Having satisfied them
that she was ali right, she was soon
mingling with the rest unchallenged.
| returned to the lazaretto and picked
up a good many of the infested ants
and dropped them in alcohol. On plac-
ing them under the micros ,ope found
the parasite 10 be a species OF mite.
These mites. like aphideS, increase with
astonishing rapiditv and are easily
transmitted from ant to ant. | put one
of the in ested ants from the old nest
in Il glass jar w tn earth in the bottom
three or four inches in depth. l then
introduced twenty n from the new
nest. ten blacks and ten reds. entirely
free from mites. In a little more than
a week every ant was nearly covered
with the parasites.
1t will be seen from this how neces
Sarv it was for the community 10 rid IL
self of all the infested ants. But one
the less marvellous does il appear that
such Insignificant creatures should
manifest SO much wisdom and
forethought. All the ants at the
new nest. so as l could see. We're
free from the pests; but l have not
the least doubt that the n led up
TO the old nest by the antenn:p was