Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-07-07
NATURES WONDERS.
TIE INTERESTING OCCUPATIONS OF
ANIMALS.
Birds that Build Apartment Houses ant
Keep Hotels-Ants as Farmers and
Spiders as Sailors.

affairs in the actions Of the lower animals, :"
said naturalist to reporter OF the New
York SEN.
every thing but the dynamite phase, P"
suggested the latter.
mo, won't except that, was the re-
ply; land I'll wager you can't mention a
class of men or an occupation followed by
them to which can't show you something
similar in the SO. called lower animal king
dom"
The reporter suggested the dynamite
fend
"Wen," continued the naturalist, pull
ing out drawer, on which was blood.
eurdling name, here's bottle that be-
longs to the explosive brotherhood, and so
powerful an agent is it that it is called the
'Bombardier,' and is ready TO go off at a
moments notice. 1t Is, as you see, an old
fashioned sort of fellow-doesn' affect long
hair and the like; but let an enemy follow
it too closely and it stops suddenly, and if
you were listening you would hear report,
a puff of smoke would rise in the air, and
the pursuer would be completely democrat
lied. I have seen these bombardiers fire
i've or six times in as many minutes,
whirling about as if taking aim. The ex.
plosives come from the gland. Quite a
number OF animals carry explosives. The
larvse of some dragon flies eject liquid
irritating to man. The squids, however,
lead in this respect. / remember drifting
along over the reef at Nassau several years
ago, and seeing several squids just below
the surface, put out my hand, and in
second my dearest friend would not have
known me. was literally drenched with
ink, which was thrown from distance of
at least three feet. 1t was indelible. and
still have the vouchers in the way of
stained linen"
Here the naturalist took down a drawer
labeled "Myrmeleon, " and said: Here
is not only plotter but diagram of its
trap. The propensity seems bred in the
bone, as it Is INDUCED in by the youngest
insects. When first Matched the insect
seeks out soft soil on some miniature
sandy plain. It generally holds its head
in place at one point, while its body is
whirled about ike pair OF dividers. This
done, the insect begins throwing out the
sand some is carried, but the greater part
is removed on plan that at least shows an
attempt at labor. saving. With quick
movement the worker shovels q load upon
its head, and by backward upward jerk
hurls it far out of the excavation. If a
pebble or stone is met with 1t is tossed out
IN the same way, masses half az large as
the worker being hurled over a foot away.
When a large stone is encountered the in
telligence displayed is remarkable. The
engineer seems to know that the rock can't
be tossed, and so he carefully rolls it upon
his head and proceeds to climb up the in
y. & ALo ,DsA M " +bk o. =
roll off of any incline, but to avert this
the insect lifts It's tail high in air, and so
crawls up the side with the stone on
perfect level I have seen them try a
stone ten or fifteen times, and then give
it up and select another location. After
the pit is completed it represents the cast
of an inverted cone, and at the bottom the
insect conceals itself, leaving only it's two
enormous jaws pTotruding You see here
on this diagram the whole tragedy is en-
acted. We will suppose that this ant is
the Gar on the way to coronation. He
rushes along, comes to the pit with his
attendants, steps on the prepared slides,
, and goes rolling down into the mouth of
the living or NihilistiC trap below. Per-
haps when halfway down the ant regains
q foothold, and seems in fair way to
escape, but the trap maker throws off all
concealment, quickly shovels sand upon its
head, and hurls load at the victim, who
rolls down helpless into the enemy's jaws,
and is destroyed. When the trap-maker
has sucked the blood, he unceremoniously
hoists the remains upon his head and
throws them out upon the sand. The pit
is then repaired for the next victim.
"Among the animal workers all occupa.
tions are found. Take colony of bees,
for instance. In forming a nest one set of
bees are ordinary laborers and form the
rough cells. A set Of skilled laborers then
take hold and shape the cells, and so on.
Among the ants the workers not only have
their share of work to do, but they differ
from the others IN shape and general ap.
pearanCe, the kings, queens, soldiers and
Iaborers being markedly different in ap-
pearance. The soldiers have enormous
Jaws, but never work. They rnsh out
tiercely when you break into q nest. Ii
the enemy is not visible they return, and
the laborers come out and begin repairs.
The army ants of South America show
great intelligence. The workers, ike our
sappers and miners, often go ahead and
form a protective arch, under which the
soldiers march, and so rapidly is this
thrown mp that the onward march is not
delayed. The ants are also slave owners.
They capture ants of other species and
force them to work for them and attend
them as body servants. So luxurious do
some Of these slave owners become that
they are utterly helpless when deprived Of
their menials. The latter not only wait
on their masters, but feed them. If the
slaves are taken away their owners perish.
Ants are also farmers. In Texas q
tribe collect the seeds OF various plants
and plant them in close proximity TO their
homes, 90 they can benefit by the seed.
The farmer or grain ants of Europe store
up vast supplies in underground granaries.
After damp season the seeds are taken
out and laid in the sun, and finally re-
turned
" How is il the seeds don't sprout
asked the reporter.
"That's the moat wonderful part of It,
The seeds don't sprout, though there they
are, planted underground and kept fresh.
It is supposed that the ants bite the seeds
in some way, so that they are III state of
coma, Just as wasps sting animals SO that
they remain insensible for months. Ants
may be said also to keep oows-nos exactly
Durhams, but insects that answer the
same purpose. They collect the plant lice
and, by caressing them in some way force
or induce them TO give ont or exude drop
of sweet liquor. I have seen five or six
ants awaiting their turn TO milk one of
these cows The ants often collect the
eggs of the aphides place them on plants
near their homes, and care for them in
many ways, just as We do for our blooded
stock. In the fall ants have been known
to take their cows underground and try to
keep them through the winter. Many ants
keep beetles ana other insects as pets,
some as playfellows, others on account of
their odor. Several hundred distinct spe-
cies of insects are In this way kept prison.
ers under ground.
"In engineering the ants are equally
skillful. They bridge wide rivers by join
ing together their bodies, clinging one 80