The Lamar register., 1892-04-09
THE INTERESTING ANT.
FOR ITS SIZE, THE MOST IN
TELLiGEnT OF BEINGS.
Regular Communities Living Together
By Their owa Law, aud Customs
All Small Anim l. r1y
Before an Ant Army.

ttN+NVA iAA- - - AlLoaetAeE uuuCces-
sary to enter upon any description OF
lis custom and habits. 1t may at once
be assumed that for its size II IS tho
most intelligent OF aIl created beings
We're each particle OF the brain OF
man animated by vigor and saracity
equal 10 that which WHITES the tiny
speck OF brain matter in the head OF
an ant Imagination altogether fails to
picture tho result or TO appreciate
even family the wisdom and power
that man would in that case possess
But even as matters stand. we may
with advantage learn much from the
ant especially from tho more highly
organized tropical varieties. including
tho termite or white ant Here we
tec regular communities dwelling to-
goiher. governed by their own laws
and customs and exhibiting the spes-
tacie OF q nation acting in accorIange
with natural laws
In ants boes and wu4pS the most
completely organized OF such com.
munities there Is . natural head not
elected or chosen by vote but born to
tho purple Among animals that
couCrcgate for natural protection aud
convenience such rs horses stays and
elephants thorc Is always a leader.
bat In this case be assumes tho 10
sition By right OF superior strength.
yalor and ssgacity,
In the ant nations which stand at
the hoad OF the most perfect Of such
communities tae m0gnrchical princl-
ple is carried ont TO the fullest extent
We have tho queen tho ruler. and
mother ~ the whole; her Courticrs
who attend upon her. tho mult1ry
class. who may Dc considered "a tho
uohlos Sho do not labor personally.
bat furnish the Sighting elass aud arc
rcaQy 20 die In dcfcuCa OF their Coun
try. The oversccrs generally IGrE r
and more Intelligent than thu mass OF
workers, rect the operations chns-
tiso the indolout soc that all is done
with order and regularity. aud gcucr-
ally supervise Hnd control the opera
lions These may he taken as tho
tyre OF the middle clasz the merchants
and manufacturers Thea there are
the uurscs who take charge Of the
eggs. feed The young transport the
pupH into tho sun aud carry them
back into the rc-csses of tho city whcu
rain threatens; and the bulk OF the
community. tho iaborers and mns0ns
the huuismen. and cUwhcrds who tend
the insects from whom the ants OBJ
tain a supply OF natural honey. Last
iy. there aru tho slave P0pu' alton cap
tiycs ia war who arr tho servants OF
tho whoIc community. The result OF
HH. H.H
tho erection of oiiiccs by the side OF
whiyh mans creates, efforts are in
compar.sou utterly dwaried and pany.
The brAvest kn ghi OF the days OF
early romance riding out 10 attack
the giants vas but poor creature by
the side Of tho warrior ant who will
DO baltic fosr!cssy with the largest
and strongest animal who may ven
tnrg 20 disturb tho pgacl OF his city
and who having once fixed his hold
upon his Foe Will suiilr himself 70 be
torn limb from limb without relaxing
his grasn Advantage is taken OF this
extraordinary tenacity OF grip by
somo primitive peoples who II suffer
ing from severe cuts draw tho edges
OF the wound together and then apply
anita who dx thcir Jaws one on each
side OF the cut The bodies OF the in
seets arc then nlpped OF but the
heads retain their grip aud form L
perfect fixture untii the wound is COM
ple,ely healed Wen Is it Tor man
that the scheme Of nature did not be-
stow upon the ant balk as well rs wis
dom ya.or and industry.
Even now all smaller animals fy in
terror at the approach OF an aut army.
aud if overtaken fall victims 10 their
furious assaults Such an army. were
tho individuals no lurger than mice
would yet be Irresistible Among
the many reasons man has for graft
tude TO Providence. not tho least is
that the ant was not endowed with
bulk in addition to his other gifts
The insects to attain to the fuh
power OF its intellect requires warm
climate differing in this respect from
man who suffers intellectually both
from the extremes OF heat and cold
The ant OF temperateclimntes bears
the same relation 10 the tropical ant
says the Saturday Evening Post that
the savage of the tropical zone bears
TO the civilized communities OF more
temperate climes The ant OF the
villa garden and the red ant OF the
woods are but very ignorant savages
with tho termite. for while
the one inhabits caves and tunnels in
the ground and tho other rough hutS
with the spires OF the fir. the
white ant dwells in u palace far larger
in proportion TO Its size than are the
abodes OF the most powerful mon
archs OF the human race TO that OF
their inhabitants.
1t is not only man who may with
take lessons from the ant;
the domestic hen would-d do well in one
respect to initiate it The white ant
lays SO. 600 eggs a day throughout the
amount that may well
nuke the hen ashamed OF hor mis-
erable total OF three or four eggs a
week.