The Arizona sentinel., 1886-12-11
BATTLE OF ANTS.
The March Of Two Armies, tho Desperat
 Attack and Heroic Repulse.

the March Ot TWO Armies, the Desperate Attack and Heroic Repulse.
 In the summer, year ago, swarm ,f black ants, Formica Pennsylvanica, built their nest between the ceiling and roof of shed near our dwelling in the suburbs of Philadelphia. At distance nf few hundred feet from the shed second colony of the same species had also built home in a sheltered place. Both nests were unusually populous.
 Battles between ants of different spe- cies, fought for the purpose of captur- ing slaves, have been often described. But on a bright morning in August 1 was witness of a fight between these two colonies of the same species, which could have been waged for no such pur- pose, and which gave the occasion for a greater display of forethought on the part of the combatants than Is usually conceded to the ant.
 The nest in the roof was the one at tackled. The only approach to it from the ground was by post and plastered wall about six feet high. A smooth plank floor fitted closely against the wall and post. and was raised above the ground by low step. This floor was the scene of the conflict
 While I stood wondering at the unu- sual commotion 1 saw at the distance of few feet host of small workers, closely followed by great horde of soldiers streaming along a fence from the other distant nest. They must have numbered thousands. In very short time these hostile workers had descended the fence to the ground, swarmed up the steps to the door, and poured in crowds upon the defensive scouts. The antagonists rushed upon each other, and with their strong jaws cut of here leg and there an antenna, and some times severed the body of an opponent at blow. The foremost soldiers ot the defensive party soon came to the rescue, and the swarm of hostile workers were driven back toward the step.
 But by this time the soldiers of the attacking party had reached the floor, moving deliberately onward in dense, black mass, crushing the smaller foes as they advanced. In few moments the small workers were either all killed or retired from the front. Then the battle between the soldiers of the op- posing forces began in earnest. Hating moment till their ranks were close and compact, though by no means regular, the invaders advanced to the attack in dense mass, seeming to completely cover the floor over which they moved. In this close array they met the defenders, whom they greatly outrumbered. They were received. however, with courage as great as their own, and their ranks were quickly broken up and thrown into apparent disorder.
 After the general charge had been thus made and the combatants were mixed in an undistinguishable crowd, single champions were seen rushing around the floor seeking a foe. When two of these champions approached each other mutual examination with the ends of their antenna seemed neces- sary to tell foe from friend. Many such meetings were friendly, and after the salutation both would rush away at full speed. But when by the delicate test of feeling or whatever serves them to thus dist nguish, each had found an enemy, they rushed upon one another with the utmost rage, clinched both with feet and jaws, and, doubling them selves up, rolled over the floor, biting and tearing each other, entirely un- q sturbed in their deadly work by being lifted up into the air with a pair of forceps. At one time the floor was very nearly black with these rolling combat ants.
 As the battle progressed the superior numbers Of the invaders drove the de- lenders of their home slowly backward to the foot of the post. Then a number of the small workers, who had been sta toned upon the post ran rapidly up to the nest. In moment a fresh army of soldiers, numbering many hundreds, rushed from the nest, and, descending the post, passed the guards at the base and fell upon the victorious foe, driving them back slowly but steadily to the edge of the step. The guards at the base of the post did not appear to leave their station to engage in the the general fight, and only took part in it at all when the attacking soldiers tried to pass them to reach the nest.
 The fight lasted about five hours and ended in total rout of the attacking party. Toward the close the wounded, doubtless of the invading party, were seen dragging themselves off the field, generally carrying with them some ene- my which had fastened upon them by his jaws in death embrace. In many cases these attacked foeman were found to consist only of pair of jaws and a head, all the rest of the body having been torn away in the fight. With bull dog tenacity the head held on firmly, re- sisting all efforts of the wounded ants to remove it.-Cor. Philadelphia Ledger.