Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-08-08
ANIMAL FRIENDSHIPS.
The thousand Friends of Ants, Birds,
and Rabbits Living Together.

q
Ply family for you, worth having. They
are all of different kinds, and are the in
sects that live from time to time in the
nests of ants, and evidently on the best
terms with them. Here are insects that
the ants ordinarily would attack and car
ry off as food, but in a peculiar friend
ship the creatures live with each other on
the very best terms imaginable"
perhaps they are slaves" suggested
the visitor.
THAT may be So" was the reply, 'but
the general impression is that these ami
mails are kept by the ants for variety of
reasons. This one may be valued for the
odor it gives out, and is the cologne of
the ants. Another exudes something like
honey, which they eat, and so on. The
latter case is well known, and people who
have watched have found that the ants
take especial pains to take care of the
young, so that they won't die out. In
other words they take the eggs into their
underground holes in the winter, and
carry them out in the spring, plac-
ing them on plants that they know they
like. In the nest of the common yellow
ant four or five distinct species of aphis
ares kept, and with them are large num-
Der of the insects l have here that are
the pets, friends, visitors, haugerson, and
domestic animals of the ants. Professor
Markle has stated that large nest of
Formlca rufa contains over a thousand
OF such pets or friends, and in the nest
OF Lasius, according to Lubbock, they
are even more numerous. Ihave a care
full list compiled by Andre, giving $50
odd species of insects that he has found
with arts, and $40 of them were beetles.
The study of the guests that make up
tbs happy family would last life
time.
care you sure that it is a happy family3"
asked the visitor 81 have seen a mon
key in a so-called happy family swinging
its colleague, a cat, by the tail"
Undoubtedly" said the collector,
"many of these visitors are not welcome
such as the parasitic mites that prey
upon the ants, and small black fly
of the genus Phora, that lays its eggs on
them. But the majority of insects are,
as rule, acceptable.
N'In all exhibitions of animals" con-
tinued the insect man, "the happy fami-
ay, which sometimes proves a very I'M
happy one, forms a prominent feature.
Cats, dogs, monkeys, and all kinds of
animals that are from the very nature of
things antagonistic to each other, are
confined together, and either forced to
agree, or from continual association be-
come habituated to their surroundings.
All this seems unnatural and even cruel,
but strangely enough, similar state of
things is found in nature, where animals
OF the most opposite kinds take up their
homes together, and live on terms of the
Clio sest intimacy.
"Somc time ago vessel stopped at
the islands called The Chickens, on the
New England coast. The crew went
ashore to see if any one lived there, and
found the principal inhabitants to be
birds, lizards, and crabs, and, curiously
enough, living together. In walking
over the sod a short distance from
the shore, the sailors heard sharp cries
followed by variety of noises, and on
listening it was evident that several kinds
of animals were underground. Soon
after number of holes were discovered,
about six inches in diameter, and by
thrustlng in boat-hook and lifting the
burrow its curious inhabitants were
exposed, The tunnel led into
the soft ground several feet,
chen rose and formed platform
that was divided into two rooms. all
carefully lined with grass. In one room
was petrol with her young, while in the
room on the other side was curious
lizard called the Sphenodon, and in the
passage were a number of large land
crabs-a queer assemblage indeed. In
nearly all the burrows the same tenants
were found, and it was afterward dis
covered that the entire work was done
by the birds. They made the burrow
and lined it with grass, and formed the
guest chamber for the lizard, who like
prince of boarders, rarely ventured out
of his room except at night, living
chiefly upon the food that the mother
petrol brought in for her little ones.
The dinner was also shared by the hun
CRY land crabs that lived along the pas
sage way.
'In the far North the little aux often
forms singular friendship with hare
or rabbit The latter builds its burrow
carrying in bits of grass and weed, and
preparing its nest that is ultimately
shared by the auks, who take possession
and rear their young in the same warm
home of the little rabbits.
'In Siberia similar association is
seen between an owl and a ground squir-
rel that forms the burrow in the first
place. The owl, taking q fancy to it,
enlarges it, so that she can pass in and
out with perfect freedom, and finally
takes possession of the squirrels soft
downy nest and rears her frowsy brood
among the young squirrels, all growing
up together.
GA South American OWLS also board
er.On the Pampas are found great numbers
of small animals known as the Bizmazas.
They live in colonies, forming burrows
and homes underground much after the
manner of our prairie dog, and are often
seen sitting on their launches over Their
nests The Bizmaza first receives as a
boarder another animal, the Agouti and
next the little owl, the three ali seemingly
agreeing to share the home in peace and
quietness.
"The burrowing owls Of the West,
rather than make a nest, often submit to
great indignities. On the prairies there
are many settlements of the so-caIled
prairie dogs that live in communities OF
several hundred. A burrow is made, the
earth taken out being piled up and form.
ing a structure upon which the animals
stand upon their hind legs, and survey
the surrounding country. The opening
descends at sharp angle and then sud
denly enlarges into room that is foored
with dry grass and made comfortable fol