The Arizona sentinel., 1888-05-19
INDUSTRIOUS INSECTS.
Curious Habits of the Agricultural and
 Leaf-Cutting Ants.


 "Go to the ant thou sluggard; con,
 sider her ways. and be wise; which,
 having no guide. overseer, or ruler,
 provideth her meat in the summer,
 and gathereth her food in the har-
 vest"
 Old King Solomon, who wrote this
 proverb, had in his country the same
 kind of ants as have been discovered
 at a comparatively recent date in our
 own land. Before this discovery mod
 ern naturalisls were inclined 10 think
 the wise maa had made one mistake,
 and that harvesting ants did not | exist.
 B 1t now an obs crying traveller pass ing over the prairie near SAn An tonic. Tex, will come across circular clear ings, surrounded by tall weeds and grass, having not scrap of vegcta- tion upon them. often for distance of fifteen feet. This is the yard surrounding the gate or door to the underground cites of the Agricult- ural Ant. Long roads. usually four in number, but sometimes seven. lead from this yard into the rank grass, which for them is as formidable as any primitive forest to the early ioneers Upon these roads they construct a pavement of coarse sand or grit half an inch thick and often from forty 10 three hundred feet in length. No green thing is allowed 10 grow upon their yards except a grain bearing grass called ArjStidt StrictG. but known in Texas as "ant Tee. IL is even asserted that the ants SOW this grain themselves. When it is ripe the chaff is removed, and the clean seeds carefully slowed away in their cells. They also gather oats and the seeds of plants in so large store as to last ill tho time of ripcning again.
 These ants are 80 large and formid- able that in Texas they arc called the ''stinging ans" and are as much dreaded as q nest of hornets B But some naturalists have carafully examined these formicaries. as their nesis are called. defending themselves us well as they could from the fierce assaults of the enraged insects that swarmed out upon them.
 They found the granaries in stories, one above another, several inches long. and about an inch high, and were convinced that the ants stored the seed for food
 As their pavements would be inun- dated in the rainy season. they begin at least six months before to build mounds. rising over a foot from the center of the pavement; and when the rain begins the young larve. the eggs, and some stores of grain ar. carried into them. Thus it has been proved that Kirg Solomon could well quote the ant as model of industry and prudent forethought.
 The habits of the leaf-cutting ants are even more wonderful. These have made great ravages upon the orchards between Austin and San Antonio. There they are called the .'parasol ant. from their having been seen carrying portions of green leaves above their heads. They work only at night, when entomologists have watched them with the light of a lan- tern. One writer describes 1.-two long columns stretched from the top to the bottom of q live oak; one ascending, the other descending, the tree. the la.- ter column carrying above their heads circular portions of green leaves. and seemed like a procession of Lilliputian Sabbath-school children bearing aloff their banners.
 In some instances we see another division of labor. for one party of foragers occupies itself wholly in cut ing off tho leaves with their sharp sickle-shaped manG ibles, and throw- ing them to the ground, while the carriers only make the journey between the foot of the tree and the nest. The piece cut out is about the size of dime. although not always a perfect circle. These ants eXcayate nests sometimes twelve feet in diam eter and from ten to fifteen feet deep. made with an irregular ar- rangement of cavcrns communicating with each other and the surface. Within the nests the fiber of the leaves had been reduced to pulp and spread out into papery mass. forming usual- ly hcXagon cells. These were SUD- posed 10 be the living-rooms of the ants, and many contained their eggs and larva, or grubs, and. although the paper was so frail, tho ants ran over it with impunily.
 They open and shut the gales to their abode with the utmost care. The barricade to their home is composed of little heaps of dried leaves and sand. About dusk, very small ants appear, out of minute holes and bearing away one grain of sand. Next larger ants carry off bits of leaves or sticks, which they drop a couple of inches from the gate. After a slow procession like this. lasting for some lime. there comes a final rush, with the large soldier ants in the lead. the rubbish is all cleared away. and during the whole night constant line is passing in and out some to cut the leaves and some to gather them. But when morning comes the minors again begin shutting up their house by drawing the refuse once more to lhe hole, and the last touches arc care