Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-02-22
NEW VOL. 24-NO. %.
A Wonderful Insect.

One portion OF Prof. Drummond's
recent book. Tropical Africa, reads
like a fairy tale. 1t is the wonderful
romance OF the white ant Ii Is
small insect with cloated, yellowish
white body and n somewhat large
thorax. oblong shaped, and colored
disagreeable oily brown. The termite
lives almost exclusively upon wood
and the moment tree Is cut or log
is sawn for any economical purpose,
this insect is upon its track. One may
never see the insect, possibly, in the
flesh, for il lives underground, but its
ravages confront one at every turn.
The white ant is blind; it has many
enemies and can never procure food
until il comes above ground. How
does il solve the diflicultys Ii takes
the ground out along with IL. have
seen white ants working on the top
OF high tree, and Vet they We're
under ground. They took up some OF
the ground with them TO the top OF
the tree, just as the Esquimaux heap
up snow, building il into the low tun-
mel hut in which they live; 80 the
white ants collect earth, only in this
case not from the surface, but from
some depth underneath the ground,
into tunneled ways. Occasionally
these run along the ground, but more
often mount in endless ramiiications
to the tops OF trees meandering along
each branch and twig and here and
there debouching into large covered
channels, which occupy half the girth
OF the trunk. Millions of trees in
some districts are thus fantastically
plastered over with tubes, galleries
and chambers OF earth, and many
pounds weight OF subsoil must be
brought up for the mining OF single
tree.
Peering over the growing wall one
soon discovers one, two, or more ter
mites OF somewhat larger build, con
siderably longer, and with very dif
|
the head, aud especially Of the man
dibles. These important looking In
dividuals saunter about the rampant
in the most leisurely way, but yet
with certain air OF business, as IL
perhaps the one was the master Of
works and the other the architect
They are posted there as sentries,
and there ithey stand or promenade
about the mouth OF every tunnel. like
Sister Ann 10 see II any body Il COM
ing. Sometimes somebody does como
in the shape OF another ant-the real
ant this time, not the defeDseless Neu-
ropteron, but some valiant and belted
knight from the warlike FormicidT
Singly or In troops, this rapacious
little insect, fearless I'm It's chitonous
coat OF mail, charges down the tree,
its antenne waving defiance TO the
enemy and It's cruel mandibies thirst
ing for termite blood.
The worker white ant IL poor de
fenceless creature, and blind and un-
armed, would fall an immediate prey
TO these well drilled banditti, who
forage about In every tropical forest
in unnumbered legion. But nj the
critical moment like Goliath from
the Philistines, the soldier terInite ad-
vances TO the fight. With n few
sweeps OF its scythe-like jaws, Il clears
the ground and while the attacking
party is carrying of It's prey, the
builders unconscious OF the fray.
quietly continue their work. To every
hundred workers I'm n white ant col.
ony, which numbers A. many thou.
sands as individuals, there are perhaps
two or three fighting men. The di-
vision OF labor here is very wonder.
full. and the fact that besides special
forms there are In every nest two
other kinds Of the same insect, the
kings and queens, shows the remark
able height TO which civilization ia
these communities has attained.
Great ant mounds are built in
meshwork OF tunnels. galleries. and
chambers, where the social Interests
Of the community are attended 10.
The most spacious OF these chambers,
usually far underground. II very prop
erly allocated 10 the head OF the so
ciety, the queen. The queen termIte
is very rare insect, and there are
seldom more than one, or at most two.
TO a colony, and as the royal apart
ments are hidden far In the earth,
few persons have ever seen q queen,
and indeed most, II they did happen
10 come across 1t, from it's singular
appearance, would refuse TO believe
that It had any connection with white
ants. Her one duty In life IL TO lay
eggs, and IL must be confessed she
discharges her function with complete
success, for in single day her progeny
often amounts to many thousands.
He was a ''eulled tramp and ap-
preached Captain Jase Phillips as the