Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-16

II I0s1e ourlO0o re0o0e100 OF nUm1
Affairs in the actions Of the lover a
mals." said the naturalist 10 the 3
porter.
Everything bat the dynamite phase
suggested the latter.
No, | won't except that" vas u
reply: "aud III wager you can't mentio
class of men Or An occupation folio '
ed by then t. which can't show 20
something similar in the 50 called Low
ef animal kingdom"
The reporter suggested the dynamit
f;snd.
H"We,I," continued the naturalist, pul
ing on. drawer uson Shich was bloc
curGling ns;ne, heres a beetle that b
iong- To the explosive brotherhood, an
SO poHerful an agent is il that IL is Gale
the 'Bouba rider and it is ready to g
OF at moments notice. Il is, IS 70
Sec, an Old fashioned sort Of fellow
| DOESN'T atect long hair and the like; bu
| let an enemy soilox il too closely and
stops suddenly, and If you were listen
Ing you would near . report, a puff o
| smoke would rise in the air and the pur
suer would be completely demoralized
have seen these bombardiers ire nv,
or Six times IL as many minutes, vhirI
ing about As If taking aim. The expio
slves come from a gland. Quite a mum
Der OF animals carry explosives. III,
isrye of some dragon flies eisot /,
hqnid irritating to man. The sQr,ids
however, lead 10 this respect. IreIuem
Der drifting along over the reef At Mas
sau several Years ago. and sse. ng seyera
squids just below the surface. / put GU,
my hand, and in a second my deares,
friend wouldn't have known me. was
literally drenched with ink, which va
thrown from distance of at least three
feet. 1t was iadelibie, and still have
tie vouchers In the way of stained
iineu."
Here the naturalist took down draw
er labelled "Myrmeleon,'' and said
Here is not only a plotter, bat dis
gram of its trap. The propensity seems
bred IN the bone, as il Is INDUCED In by
the young Insects. When first Matched
tho insect seeks ont a soft soil on sou q
min,ature sandy plain. 1t generally
holds lts head In place at one point,
while its booy is whiried about like a
pair Of dividers. This done, the insect
begins throwing ont tho sand; some is
carried, but the greater part is removed
on q plan that at least shows an attempt
at labor saving. With a quick move
ment the worker shOvels a load upon its
mead, ard by n backward upward jerk
hurts il far out of the excavation. II a
pebble or stone is met with it is tossed
out In the same Way. masses half as
large IA the worker being hurled over a
foot away. When large stone is en-
the intelligence displayed is
remarkable. The engineer seems to
know that the rock can't be to ,sed,
and proceeds to climb up the in
cline of the pit. Naturally the stone
would roll off of any incline, but
to avert this the insect lifts it's tail
high in the air, and SO orawls up the
side with the stone on perfect level. l
have seen them try stone ten or fifteen
times. and then give it up and select
another location. After the pit is CON-
pleted it represents the cast of I'm inver-
ted cone, and az the bottom the insect
itself, leaving only ito two
enormous jaws protrudinR. You see
here on this diagram the whole tragedy
is enacted. We will suppose that this
Ant is the Gear on his way to corona
ton. He rushes along, comes to tho pit
with bis attendants. steps On the pre-
pared Slides, and goes rolling down into
The mouth of the living or Nihilist trap
below. Perhaps when half way down
The ant re2ains f0othOld, aud seems
in fair way to escape, but the trap
maker throws off all concealment.
quickly shovels sand on it's head, and
6urls load after load at its victim, who
rolls back helpless into his enemy's
q 80 Ann<pNDnA H. 49,
maker has sucked the blood. be uncors-
h0is:s the remains upon his
head and throws them out upon the
sand. The pit 10 then prepared for the
next victim.
Among the animal workers all 0ocu-
pations nre found. Take q colony Of
bees, for instance. In forming a nest
one set of bees are ordinary laborsrs,
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. bat they differ
from the others in shape and general
the king, queens, soldiers,
and laborers being all kelly differ
ent in appearance. The soldiers have
enormous jaws, but never work. They
rush out fercely when you break into
their nest. If tue enemy ia not visible
hey return. and the labOrers come out
md begin repairs. The army ants of
south America show great intelligence.
Tho workers, like our ssippeIs and min
srs, often 20 ahead aud firm a pro-
.ectivc arci, under which the soldiers
march and 30 rapidly is this thrown
1p that the onward march is not de-
aged. The anita are also slave owxers.
They capture arts of other spec.os ANA
force them - work fox them and at
lend them as body servants. SD luxo-
rioDS do SEINE of these slave Cwncrs
become tbs; they are utterly helpless
when deprived Of their nenials. TIE
latter NOT only wait on their masters
but feed them. II the slaves are .ken
away their owners perish.
"Ants are also farmers. In Texss
tribe collect the seeds Of various plants
aud plant them in close proximity to
their homes, 30 that they can benefit by
The seed. The farmer or grain ants of
Europe store up vast supplies in under
ground Granar!es. After q damp sea-
son the seeds are taken out and laid in
he sun and finally returned"
"How Is it the seeds don't sprout ?"
naked the reporter.
"That's the most wonderful part Of
Il. The seeds don't sprout. though
there they are, plantsd under ground
and kept fresh. II is supposed that the
ants bite the seeds in some way 80 that
they are in a state of coma, juss az
wasps sting animals 80 tsat they re-
main insens:b!c for months. Ants may
be aid xlsO to keep cows-not exactly
Durhams, bat insects that answer the
same purpose. The collect tho plant
lice, and, by caressiug them IN some
way. force or induce them to give oat or
exude a drop Of sweet liquor. / have
seen Ave OF six ants awaiting their turn
70 rzilk ono Of these COWS. The ants
often collec: the eggs of the apbides,
place them on plants near their homes,
and care for them in many ways, Just az
va do for our blooded stock. In tho
fall ants have been known to take their
COWS under ground and try to keep
them through tho wiste4. Many ants
keep beetles and other insects a. pets,
some as play fellows, others on account
of their color. Several hundred dis
tinct species Of insects are in this way
kept prisoners under ground.
ain engineering the ants are equally
- - J. 4.