Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-11-12

Dead-A Lite of Labor, Hardship and
strife-FiGhting IA Single Combat
Bloody Battles.
In spite of the rlultlfarious duties and
tasks that are imposed on these tinv burgbers
they still find time 10 clcan ami adorn their
worthy little persons No spot, no atom of
dust or anything else uncleaniy will they
tolerate on their bodies They get rid Of the
dirt with the bTushy tufts on their feet or
with their tongue. They act. for all the
workL like durDestic catS when they clean
pud lick Themselves; and they assist one an
other at the toilet precisely like monkeys
Their snse of Clc anhneSS goes 10 far that the
naturalist often finds, to his unpleasant sur
prise, the Culored marks that he hal app!I,,l
with 50 r,pch care on his trial ants removed
hy fh,ir dirt haling friends They keep their
dwellings just as cleanIy,
But the conveyh'g away Of their deceased
brethren. whose dead bodies they appear to
negard with the greatest antipathy, gives
them more trouble than ANYTHING efse.
" hen sC me members Of an ant community,
which kept imprisoned, died and could not
lie removed. those remaining seemed affe,ted
with the greatest horror. For days the i'll
sectS ran about seeking way ont, and
ceased only when completely exhausted. The
ants belonging to the CampoHutus speCies
sei1ei tue dead and threw them into water
pail, which they converted into sppulchre.
Ordinarily, though, the ants are said to treat
theIr dead with nore reverence. They even
possess their own graVcyardS, which lie in the
vicinity OF their nests, They convey their
decesSed companions thither where they lay
them down in orderly little heaps or in rows.
A LIFE OF LABOR
1t is from life full of labor. hardship and
strife that death releases these active little
animals. When not enLa aged in labor they
are busy in detcuSe, SentInels posted in COM
mandlng Positions guard them from sur
prISes Of every kinl As soon as danger is
threatened the citizens of the state, at the
alarm signal of the pickets, dart out of their
habitations. From nocturnal dangers their
houses protect them, since they harricade tho
entrances with leaves and little sticks And
that is accomplished, according to Mr. Cook,
in the following manner: The large workers
first drag up heavy material, and. having
placed /: in position, dipappear in the inside
Of the nest. Then the ants of I:Ieiium size
follow with material corresponding to their
strength, And finally the smallest members
Of the community bring up rains Of sand
and fragments Of earth to complete the harri-
cade.
The doors are closed behind them until the
dawn of the next day, and then the exit oc-
ours in reverse order. The small ones are |
the first and the large ones the last of the /
column
But ants are not merely acquainted with |
the earnest side of life: they are susceptible /.
to its joys and anuscments a. well Just as
kids in the wantonness of youthful spirits .
one another 10 mimic combat IN .
the meadow, so do the else so industrious .
With feelers and feet the combat /
i've individual urges on its companions until .
they accept the challenge. Standing on their .
hind feet they grasp each other with the .
front ones and apply rapidly both head and
Jaws, Then they ist go, turn round and take .
mold again, like boys wrestling After hav-
ing satisfactorily tested their respective
strength they separate peacefully
FIGHTING IN SINGLE cONBArs
When they fight in earnest the result Of the
iuel is quite different As with the heroes of (
nItiquity, the single conlhats take place M
Ter the eyes OF the opposing armies. Other
y - anu u |'lailN Nltu lar away from the .
nest, the hostile ants avoid each other, or the
weaker surrender at discretion. In the face
If the Cmhattled armies, however, where they
Ind support the adversaries rush upon each
,ther furiously The antenna are thrown
,ack and the jaws widely opened. Amid
'iting and stahhing the desperate scuffie goes
N. Then there Is pushing against one
mother, showing backward and forward, a
lurIing to the ground and q rolling over one
mother, until at last one Of the combatants
uccumbS, or the duel remains undecided,
lIding with the complete exhaustion of the
antagonists. The secretion of the poison
lands, the well known forInic acid, serves as
Missile weapons in battle, the Jaws for grip
ing and striking and the sting for stabbing.
These battles Of the ants are obstinately
ought and bloody in the extreme. Differ
noes IN regard to territorial boundaries, !
hievish forays and invasioas for the purpose
f procuring slaves are generally the casus
ELI While the hattle is in progress columns
( troops are constantly coming and going,
prisoners or bringing up re-en-
orcements. Ii is not rare for a battle TO last
n entire day, and whole armies are some
lines annihilated, 50 that innumerable bodies
t the dead and wounded cover the field
pecialiSt Cook In The Cosmopolitan