The Osceola times., 1886-11-27
HABITS OF ANTS
How Almost Human They Ar
Passions and Amus.

"ss'o"s anu Amusements
In spite OF the multifarious dutie, .,.
tasks that are imposed on tbogs an an
burghers they still find time 10 :, un
and adorn their worthy little nor. a
No spot, no atom of dust or anv M h'
else uncleanly will they toler.,o yum
their bodies. They get rid of tbs a,
with the brushy tufts on their foo,
with their tongue. They act q,
the world, like domestic cats when a.
clean and lick themselves; and tbev y
sist one another at the toilet nro:,.,
like monkeys. Their sense of cloaNN
ness goes SO far that the natn"n ani'
often finds, to his unpleasant snrns; nais
the colored marks that he had anni9
with so much care on his 'trial rr.e an,sg
removed by their dirt-hating frenS.
They keep their dwellings Just as claos
ly. But the conveying away Of Ja'i' ,hai.
deceased brethren, whose dead nod
they appear to regard with the orea,so'
antipathy. gives them more ,ronb,'
than any thing else. When some msm
oers oi aii anu community, which ken,
imprisoned. died and could not ha r
moved, those remaining seemed atfaa,
ed with the greatest horror For a.
the itsects ran about seeking a way on,
and ceased only when completeiv o
hausted. The ants belonging 10 Is
camponotus species seized the dead and
threw them into a water-pail, which
they converted into a sepulcher. Ordi-
narily. though, the ants are said 10
treat their dead with more Reverence
They even possess their own gravo.
yards, which lie in the vicinity Of tbe,
nests. They convey their deceased
companions thither, where they Ia
them down in orderly little heaps ~
in rows.
Ii is from life full of labor, hardsblr
and strife that death releases these ACTIVE
little animals. When not engaged in
labor they are busy in defense. SENT.
ncls posted in commanding position,
guord them from surprises of every
kind. 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 danger,
their houses protect them, since they
barricade the 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
it in position, disappear inside of the
nest. Then the ants Of medium size fol.
low with material correspondence to their
strength. And finallythe smallest mem.
bers of the community bring up grains
of sand and fragments of earth TO com
plete the barricade. The doors are
closed behind them until the dawn Of
the next day. and then the exit occurs
in reverse order. The small ones are
,ho 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
amusements as well. Just as kids in
the wantonness of youthful spirits chal-
lcnge one another to mimic combat in
the meadow, so do the else so industri-
Gus emmcts. With fcelers and feet the
combatiye individual urges on its com
panions 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
let 90, turn round and take hold again,
like boys wrestling. After having salts.
factorily tested their respective strength
they separate peacefully.
When they fight in earnest the result
of the duel is quite different. As with
the heroes of antiquity, the single COM
bats take place under the
eyes of the opposing armies. Other
wise and especially when far away from
the nest, the hostile ants avoid each
other, or the weaker surrender at dis
cretion. In to- face OF the embattled
armies. however, where they find sup.
port, the adyersaries rush upon each
other furiously. The antenne are thrown
back and the jaws widely opened.
Amid biting and stabbing the desper-
ate scuille goes on. Then there is
pushing against one another, a showing
backward and forward, hurling to tho
ground and a rolling over one another
until at last one of the combatants sue
cumbs, or the duel remains undecided.
ending with the complete exhaustion OF
the antagonists. The secretion of the
poison glands, the well-known formlc
acid, serves as missile weapons in bat
tie, the jaws for gripping and striking
and the sting for stabbing.
these battles of the ants are obstl-.
nately fought and bloody in the extreme
Differences with regard to territorial
boundaries, thioyish forays and invas-
ions for the purpose of procuring slaves
are generally the cdc9s betd. WINE
the battle is in progress, columns OF
troops are constantly coming and gong
transporting prisoners or bring up re-
Inducements. Ii is not rare for ba'-
tie to last an ent re day, and whole
armies are sometimes annihilated, so
that innumorablc bodies OF the dead
and wounded cover the field. -Ihitdde1-
Uh71 Times