Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-11-09
NATURES WONDERS.
How an Army of Ants Disposed OF an Ex
traordlnary Large Centipede.

How an Army of Ants Disposed OF an Ex
traordinary Large Centipede.
| We were travelling in that land o
teeming prodigious life, Central Amer
lea, and were camped in u glade Dor
dering n grand old virgin forest, 81
maryelously rich in strange forms ant
colors of vegetable life that we would
have fingered long in this spot to ad.
mire, but that we were driven by t
sudden shower to take shelter in de-
serted shed. or house, left probably by
some planter who had migrated to an,
other spot-a not unusual case.
There we sat, for want of something
better to do, commenting and surmis-
ing, when suddenly our attention was
caught by some living thing, us it ap-
peared to us. issuing from hole in
the ground close up under the wall,
midway between a crack in the wall
and the right-hand corner. In another
minute it had beat upward, and was
taking the direction up the wall. Out
1t came, longer and longer We thought
it would never stop unfolding. Was it
snake. Every one started at the bare
thought.
We watched it at respectful dis
tance. No, 1t was huge centipede,
fully eighteen inches long. The whole
party were instantly on their feet to
give it chase and knock it over, when
some one uttered n note of surprise,
and invited us to stop and examine its
mode of progress. / should explain
that the natural gait of this reptile
when in movement is serpentine; its
multitudinous legs rising and falling in
quick succession, like series of small
waves, very pretty too look at when
near. This creature did not seem to
use its legs at all, but slid up the wall
as If pulled by some invisible string.
Every ono exclaimed with surprise,
but on closer inspection the riddle was
solved.
Tho centipede was dead, but was
impelled up the wall, not by string,
but by tho serried ranks of thousands
OF little black ants fringing the sides,
which they showed up by slanting their
bodies as we ourselves should under
tho circumstances; also at the head,
which they wero pulling, and at
the tail, which they were pushing.
And all this with unanimity
of aim and action, and an intel
ligence of the work they had under
taken, and all in such perfect and
beautiful order, that it won the I'D
miration of our whole party. No set
OF human beings could do it better.
They had already gained half way up
the hut On went the procession, swift
and smooth, without break or pause,
till they came to the crack in the wall.
The break here measured full inch
in width; they could not bridge it over.
They halted, and /, moved by the most
intense curiosity, mounted a stool to
watch. 1t was then ! discovered that
on the back Of the dead reptile were
stationed some half-dozeu loose ants,
hither and thither, in a stale
Of greatest agitation and excitement,
looking down on the workers on this
side, and then on the opposite side
then along the body to the head-back
again TO the tail and so on; while one
little fellow, not whit different from
the rest, kept stationary on the ex-
tremest point of tho head. He was
evidently the captain and commander
in-chief, and though not differing from
the others in form and color, as far as
we could see, yet no doubt was elected |
10 the position from his superior intel
igence.
The rent here was so wide, so i'm
possible to get over, that l fully ex-
)ected they would have to give up
heir booty and let it fall to the
yround. But not hair's-breadth did
hey budge-the stout-hearted little
,reatures held on as immovable as a
,ost; this for some fraction of a
minute. Then at some sign of COM
nand, invisible and uninteligible to us,
he whole procession moved backward
that is, downward) for about the
pace of an inch. Then came another
lalt, and then again the whole body
ecommenced their march upward;
'nly this time it took u sloping line,
parallel with the crack in the wall, evil
emily aiming at the place where the
ent dwindled away to nothing. And
hey reached 1t. too. They crossed it;
hey came to the top, and we saw the
ody of the dead centipede bending
yer the highest point of the wall, as 1t
disappeared under the raft
RS which supported the roof.
The whole scene was an impressive
ne, for the movement showed not
My slkillful combination of forces
I rare generalship on the part of the
worthy of human hero
ut an obedience on the part of the
'orkers that might rival the best
rllled army in the world; and we can
OF but recognize in those small Great
res an amount Of intelligence which
lay rank on par with many nations
nd people which we call human. -
I