The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-12-03
INTELLIGENT INSECTS.
The Curious MsneuVer Of a Col
ony Of Brown Ants.
They Deliberately Plan and Successfully
Execute an Expedition to Capture An,
other CoIony-EyIdence That They
Possess Reasoning Powers.

Although the following fact relative
20 the habits Of ants is well known, |
have never seen il described with the
marked characters and in the clearly
defined form in which | have just OBJ
served it.
Saturday, July Il, 1888. while the
sun was shining brightly, was walk
ing on a read running north and south.
and which, at point that l had
reached, skirted a garden wall. /
soon observed at my left, toward the
wall. whole legion of brown ants of
quite a large size that were moving
with a quickened pace, and in good
order, in the same direction. The
column was about eight inches in
width and nearly sixteen feet in
length 1t started from a piece OF
ground little higher than the road
way and covered with grass and
weeds. From this it descended by a
foot path inclined more than forty-fve
degrees. at the center of which it
turned abruptly at right angles in or
der to follow the road. | qaickened
my pace and reached the head of the
column, which was very sharply de-
fined, and followed it attentively il
order TO see what could be the object
of the expedition, for it was clear that
it was question of the carrying out
Of well-determined plan. i
had already remarked with sur
prise that, during the march
of this army, several ants, seeming to
have changed their mind. were retrac-
ing their steps and traversing all the
ranks; but soon saw them turn about
again, after advising with some of
their companions which they had
sought Having reached the large
garden gate, the head of the column
stopped. and all the new corners
grouped themselves in circle of wide
diameter. 1t was evident that the
ants had united in a council of war,
and that they were debating upon some
plan of prudence TO follow. The cir
Gle, in fact. soon opened. and the ants
began to pass under the leaves of the
gate. no longer in serried column,
but scattered over a wide space. and
walking more slowly and with d6fiber-
alton. / saw them move in the di-
rectlOn OF a grass pat. and here | lost
sight of them. | was feverish that
day, and out of humor, ard / walked
along gloomily. thinking of what had
just observed. | thought it was some
unfortunate colony that had eXiled
itself from its eOmicile in order to seek
more propitious skies. | was thor
oughly deceived. Ihad just witnessed
a premeditated piliaging expedition.
Returning by the same route in the
course OF half an hour | saw mr. ants
triumphantly starting for home, each
holding in its mandibies large ants
egg, doubtless of another species
Each was proceeding on its own hook,
and endeavoring not to lose its prey.
Was it. in fact. prey that they had just
sought for their table, by barbarous
refinement of taste? Or was it, rather,
eggs that they wished to have Matched
in their own domiciles in order to con-
vert the young ants into slaves. of
which, by just retribution, they in
turn would become the slaves, by losing
the habit of working? Was it an
odious act of rapine and violence that
had just witnessed, or must we admit
that ants thus deprived of their pro-
geniture filing resign themselves to
their fate and are predestined thereto?
At all events, the defense, if defense
there had been, could not have been
very energetic. The pillagers were
not pursued, and not wounded in
dividual appeared among the yictors.
The first part of the drama had sad
dened me, but had left me with false |
notion; the end saddened me more yet.
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