News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-04-09

|
his ant-friend turned to thank her. anc
| to send also message of shanks to the
, Queen, when she exclaimed:
"Oh, I have a good deal more tc
show you. You have not seen our COWS
! yet"
"Cows, COWS? Ants have COWS p
cried Tom, in astonishment.
eyes, ants have COWS; and if you will
step this way you shall see them"
Tom obeyed, and they retraced their
steps through one of the long corridors.
AS they went along they net an ant
carrying heavy burden.
"What hrsES.ses hrss;ES.-;ses. D. szEtssSshe guide,
and they toucsII~4dands as thsy passed.
''That is one of the best workers in the
whole hive; she works fifteen hours a
day many time" Presently they came
upon a little insect with tuft of hair
on it's back, which an ant sucked, and
then went away licking its lips. ''That
is walking honey pot, F" said the guide
"We keep several in the nest, sand when
we want taste we suck them, as you
saw that ant do just now."
Tom opened his eyes at this. But he
opened them wider when he learned
that there were ants who were living
honey Jars, who stored up honey and
gave it out as required to the other
members of the community.
just then very small ant leaped on
the back of the guide and put its long
spider legs round her neck.
''Stennie, Stennie, my little pet, don't
quite choke me with your hugs. You
see we have pets, as well as COWS and
living honey-pots,' turning to Tom.
They had now reached the cow-shed.
connected with the main nest by a cov-
cred way. 1t was built round and over
the leaves of daisy plant which formed
the stalls for the COWS.
Tom was looking for large, four
legged creature, and when the guide
pointed out quite herd of small, green
| insects, he thought she was surely pok-
ing fun at him. But these were the
ant-cows. For by and by the milk
maids came in, went up to the COWS and
stroked them very gently until drops of
honey fell from them, which they
| drank. As Tom stood watching them,
| he remembered to have seen green IN
sects like these ON the rose. trees and
| gooseberry bushes in his fathers gar
den, and the thought struck him that
what people call honey-dew was the
honey dropped by these little creatures.
The guide told him, as they walked
away, that there were some ants that
grew their own rice and even mush-
rooms.
"Dear me-" thought Tom, "ants are
as clever SIS men,"
Coming to a door that led into the
grand hall and looking in, the guide ex-
claimed: "Why, the-aport5 are on and 1
did not know"
It was a merry scene. at one end
was the queen, with all her courtiers
round her, watching the games. Here
long double row of ants were playing
at thread needle. There company
was dancing; close by were several pairs
wrestling and boxing; while many Of the
youngsters were playing at hide-and
seek all round the hail. Suddenly,
when the merriment was at its hight, a
cry was heard 'To the pillar. to the
pillar The foe, the foe Seal the
inner doors -
The scene was changed in an instant.
The queen had her bodyguard doubled,
and was taken off TO the royal cell, and
sealed up. The keepers of the eggs,
the grubs, and the mummies hurried
away to their respective cells, and filled
up the doorways with clay. The cow
keepers did the same with the entrance
to the covered way. All was excitement.
When the defenses were completed, all
waited the onrush Of the enemy. But it
proved false alarm. One of the out
posts had indeed seen legion of soldier
ants in the distance, tending toward the
nest. They were simply rounding a
hill, however, and then made for nest
of negro ants, intent on making slaves.
This was the explanation Of o scout,
who had been sent out to see how the
thing would turn.
Tom was utterly dumfounded when he
heard of ant slaves.
"Do ants really make and hold
slaves ?" he asked, in utter astonish-
ment, of his guide.
"Yes, some; not all. We have no
slaves, but do all our work ourselves.
There is one tribe of ants, the Anna
zons,' great Shareholders; but they do
nothing but fight and lounge. They are
very brave in war, however, and never
take or kill the up-grown ants of nest,
except these try to hinder them from
carrying off their young, which they
want to bring up and make into slaves
But they have to pay dearly for their
laziness." Tom WINGED.
'sThey are called the Workers ; but
they are Just ..llzoo--z=irspo<5Sss- when not
fighting. They neither feed nor clean
themselves nor their young ones. All
this is done for them by slaves, who
actually have to carry them on their
backs when they go to new settle
ment. In fact they have lost the power
of doing anything for themselves through
having every thing done for them and
not using the power they had. Their
laws have lost their teeth. and are now
simply nippers with which they kill
their foes. And all this results from in |
dolence.
Tom WINGED again. Was she pointing
at him?
"But." she went on, 81 know another |
tribe, the Round;aws, who have become
more helpless still in the same way.
They are even losing their nipping |
mower and if it were not for their
slaves, who carry them to the field and
then fight by their side, they would
never win a battle. There is one other
tribe which sloth has plunged into yet
deeper depths of degradation, the Worn
outs. They are the mere puppet mas
ters of their slaves, who have become
the real masters. Laziness is terrible
curse it can blight the finest powers.
The speakers thousand eyes flashed
fire as she spoke these words, and made
Tom tremble.
He shuddered at the picture OF the
ants on whom the curse of idleness had |
l. L. htnt nf hn fNin