Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-28

with whom Stan reporter was conversing the
other day. With them countless superstition,
are associated by the peoples Of all lands and
their doings afford material for much Of tn,
folklore Of every country. From the eariies
times historiuus and philosophers, equally with
uaturalis;s. have taken the utmost interest In
sPeculating upon and recording everything
| that was to be ascertainod respecting thess
humble creatures
| Herodotus. the father Of history. writing in
the fifth century before Christ tells very re-
| markable yarn about certain ants in the conn.
try of Pactyica which we're bigger than foxes
] though somewhat less In size than wolves
These extraordinary insects lived underground
heaping up the sand into hills In this sand
/ gold was mingled. being brought up from the
| depths. and the natives were accustomed 10 &c
| With sacks TO collect it, choosing for the worl
! the hottest part of the day, because then the
ants. which we're friehtfuly fierce, were hidden
In their holes. Upou arriving nj the place
whence the plumber was to be obtained the men
were wont TO ill their sacks an quickly
as possible and get AWAY with the
utmost expedition. for the ants,
/ upon finding oat that their dwell
| ings had been disturbed. would pursue them,
and inasmuch as they we're uneqnaled in swift
ness by any other animal, no. one of the rob-
beers could have escaped being torn to pieces
had they not had long start. 4 number Of
otuct ShIOHlcIeTs OF the same period make
| similar statements regarding these insects
among them Nearcbus. who speaks of having
| seen several of their skins, Which were as large
as those Of ieopards. 1t has been surmised
thEt the ants in question were. in reality, the
small foxes of India, which may have been
represented by travellers as ants because they
hved in holes in the ground.
THE TEGocIous BLACK ANTS OF GUIANA.
In the forests of Guiana do actually dwell
some very large and exceedingly ferorious
black ants, which throw Up hills fifteen and
even twenty feet in height. They will not hes
itnse to attack man and their hea6q uarters are
usually given "a wide berth. The traveller Ma
louet speaks of having Witnessed the dcstruc-
tion OF one OF these fortrcsses and Its inhab-
iIants m away that was certainly extraordinary.
trench was dug entirely around IL and fillcd
with dry wood which WAS set fire to simrltane-
ousiy ut oil points. Then u train Of artillery
was brought to bear and the hill knocked to
pieces with cannon balls. The ants, seeking to
escape, were all burned in their attempt to
cross the fiery gutter. On more than one &C.
casion ants have done so much damage in con-
vents and elsewhere as to be formally excom-
municated bv the church of Rome. In south
Africa the hills Of the white ants, known az
''termites, have often been employed for pur-
poses of torture, the human victim being partly
buried in one Of the heap. and left there until
his flesh was eaten from his bones.
SUPERSTITION AS TO THE LOCUST
belief is, or used to be. current among the
Mormons, who suffered grievously from the
pest, that the locust was q cross between the
spider and the buffalo. In China the popular
notion is that insects Of this description are
Matched by the sun from the spawn Of fishes
that are left ashore by receding waters The
history OF the locust having been series of the
greatest calamities from which mankind has
suffered. it is not surprising that they have
been looked upon for ages with superstitious
horror. BY the Arabs this speech is put into
the locust's mouth: I'VE are the army of the
great God. and we lay ninety-nine eggs: were
the hnndredth put forth, the world would be
ours According to the statement Of these
people, the locust has the head of the horse
the horns OF the stag, the eyes of the elephant
the neck of the OK, the breast of the
lion, the body Of the scorpion, tho
stork, the wings Of the eagle and the tail of the
dragon. common belief in this country In
that the wing Of the insect is always marked
either with letter W, portending war, or the
letter T, promising peace. Diodorns siculus.
locust eaters in Ethiopia, who were accustomed
10 procure their yearly supplies of food by SET
ting much cOmbustible material afire in val
ley when the swarms of locusts passed over, 40
that they we're stifed by the smoke and fell 70
the ground in vast numbers, TO be subsequently
gathered in heaps with salt and SO preserved.
Owing to their peculiar diet these people never
lived to grow old. being eaten up by maggots
which bred in their flesh. Locusts are much
used for food in Africa today. Flights Of them
are consided such a blessing by the natives In
many parts that the rain doctors are EMPLOYED
to fetch them by their iucantations.
CBIcKETs AND REARHonsEs
In certain parts Of Africa crickets are said to
constitute an article Of commerce. People rear
them, feed them in confinement and sell them.
The natives are very fond Of their music, think
ing that 1t induces sleep. Superstitions re-
garding the crickets chirp are very varied,
Some believe that it il Ominous Of sorrow and
evil, while others consider it to be harbinger
of joy.
One of the most curious Of insects is the
mantis or ''rssrhOrse," which Is so common in
Washington. The popular beliefs are familiar
as to its powers of prophecy and other SUPER
natural attributes. Presumably the notion as
to its supposed sanctity il derived from its In
vorite praying" attitude. If girl takes n
mantis to the junction Of three roads and asks
ii from which direction her lover will come il
will respond truly. When the insect kneels it
sees an angel in the way. Surprising that it
the acquaintance Of distinguished person.
II il injuries you in any way, which it
does but rarely, you will lose O valued friend
by caiumny. Never kill . mantis. as it
bears q charm against evil. In the works Of
Piso it is stated that the mantis changes into a
green plant Of two hands breadth. The feet
are fixed into the ground first it il said and
from these roots grow, so that the animal by
degrees becomes vegetable. Although this
seems like an absurdity il IL in reality not i'm
possible that such q thing may have occurred
FOR il 10 true that an insect will sometimes
under favorable conditions Of heat and paois-
ture, produce a plant Of cryptogamic kind.
From q certain kind of caterpillar that burrows
in the ground an edible mushroom that is very
highly priced commonly grows. 1t often hap
pens that the chrysalis OF bee. or wasp or
cricket throws out a stem and changes in every
respect into vegetable, though at the root the
shell and external appearance Of the parent in
sect are still retained. Specimens Of these vege-
tated animals are frequently brought from the
West Indies
WAITING TO cocxRoAcHEs
It IL commonly believed In England that
good way to get rid Of cockroaches il to address
to them . written letter, saying: "Oh, reaches,
you have troubled me long enough; 20 now
and worry my nsighbors." The letter must be
put where they most swarm, properly sealed
Il should be written legibly and properly pune
fuated. Another recipe for driving away
cockroaches II to seal up several Of the insects
in an envelope and drop it in the street unseen
Ths remaining reaches viii oil 20 to the finder
Of the parcel. II u also ssid that, II Q looking
glass be held before reaches, they will be
SO frightened a. to leave the premises. In Eng
land hedgehogs are kept IN Kitchens to destroy
cockroaches. These curious little beasts are
nocturnal in their habits and are Amazingly
fond Of such prey.
In the Argentine Repuhlic wsevil known AZ
the diamond beetle IL in great request for
breast pins and other ornaments. The palm
weovu OF the West Indies il regarded In that
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