Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-11-03
A PERSEVERING ANT.
It's Laborious Efforts in Securing
It's Gigantic Prey.
Watching the Industrious Little Fellow as
He Carries Home His Prize-He Falls
Five Hundred Times His Own
Length-Final Victory.

terry, in the quaint old seaside town,
Annisquam, | observed one day last
summer black ant on a stone wall,
carrying in its jaws "A large sowbug.
! determined not to loose sight Of this
ant until it should enter its nest, wher-
ever tn at might be, with or without
its burden.
1t was then ten o'clock in the morn
ing. The wall was of large, hewn
stones, and was "laid dry" Conse-
quently, at about every two feet, there
were deep cracks across the path of
the insect, which must have appeared
to it, in proportion to its size, as deep
as crevasses in glacier to an Alpine
tourist. The sides of these chasms
were precipitous and nearly smooth.
To cross them, hampered by a burden
as bulky as an OK on baby's back,
appeared to me serious matter for
the insect.
The first crevice was presently
reached, and was carefully explored
for the whole breadth Of the stone.
No bridge being found, the ant turned
about, and began cautiously to descend
the cliff sideways. 1t clung by its
hind legs to one spot and from that as
a center, rapidly described half-cir-
Gle with its head and fore legs, until
some irregularity was discovered in the
face of the stone to which it could next
attach its claws. In this way it rapid
| ly worked its way downward, until it
found means of crossing to the oppo-
site side when-still backward, still
circling back and forth like pair of
| animated compasses, and still holding
the sow-bug firmly in its mandibles-
it worked itself up again to the top of
the wall. 1t then proceeded as be-
fore, holding the bug above its head
like a shield or umbrella.
| Before the next crack was reached !
had procured smooth, round stick
which | laid across from edge to edge.
But the ant would not trust itself to SC
slippery bridge. 1t let its antenna
play rapidly around the end of it for q
moment, and even clambered upon it.
but finding it smooth and slender came
off again and repeated its former
maneuvcr of descending into the
crevice on one side and scaling the op
posing cliff. Meanwhile | laid acros,
the next opening stouter stick with
rough bark. This time there was NJ
hesitation. The ant at once mounted
the bridge and passed over it, whether
with any sense of qualification | coult
only conjecture. After that it in
variably used the stick which | PLACED
before it at each crossing.
After progressing together in thi'
amicable manner for two or three rods
we reached crevasse extending quite
to the bottom of the wall. Across it lay
a smooth leaf of wild cherry, swayins
gently in the light breeze. This tim,
] gave no assistance. The leaf wa
slippery and unsteady, but the clef
was very deep, and the natural bridg'
was slowly and cautiously essayed
The antenn@ were kept busily quiver
ing in front, the sow-bug was he'll
, tightly and well aloft, and the advanc
) was hesitating. A sudden CULVER O
the leaf, and the catastrophe came
The ant fell five hundred times its owl
length (three thousand feet would b
, good fall for you, my friendD an
, struck the ground. Its relative light
| ness, however, saved it from injury
and it did not even relax its hold upo
its prey; nor was it at all confused o
disconnected by the accident; for
, instantly regained its feet, and bega
its backward circling climb up tn
smooth surface OF the stone, and that
too, unerringly on the side of tn
! crack which it had been trying t
reach by the treacherous bridge.
On the upward way, this story wa
like to have a sudden and tragic enc
, ing for, slipping in some way. ou
,, hero fell into the conical web Of
, fierce old spider, who, feeling in HI
|, dismal lair the concussion of h
! cables, came rushing forth in terr
Bile temper and was about to "su
round" the intruder, had | not for th
second time played the part of deus e
mdchind.
, As soon as l placed the ant ono
more on the wall, it resumed i
journey in the right direction withol
hesitation. Thence it marched SCI
eral stages"-perhaps twenty feet
(: when sudden and mysterious inte
r rupt;on brought it to halt. 1t SCENE
n arrested by an invisible force, as II Oh
: had presented the negative pole Of
magnet! was puzzled, but on lool
ing more attenti-ely perceived th'
: the gray bug, which had heretofol
|. been held high in the air, was no
: dropping backward behind its stru