The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-06-19
Tho Strange Adventures or n BLACK INT on
"a Hunting Excursion.

RoULETTF Pa. Juno ia black ant, very
large. and plainly out for business. appeared
tho other day ut one end of tho long piazza Of
the Lyman farmhouse in this village. lie was
moving rapidly along. zg-Za.ging hero and
there. and cir'ling about like bird dog Mt
work in q gamo cover. when suddenly an ant
almost ne his rs himself came dashing from
the other edge Of the piazza. his course directly
toward the black ant This ant was n reddish
brown follow. Of n race between which and the
race Of black ants thore Is for some reason n
bitter feld. Whether this ant saw his glsten-
ing black enemy or not Mt ilvst does not mp
pear. but it was plain that tho black ant
saw him when he was still trco or four feet
distant, for the black stopped in his mnnru-
wiring on the piazza. and stood still. facing the
other. with his head elevated. IIo did not
move from this position until tho red mt had
advanced to within IL foot of him. stopped sud-
denly as il he had Just discovered the black.
stood for a few seconds apparently sizing him
up, and then turned and took n course at an
abrupt angle from tho spot. his inspection
having evidently satisfied him that probably
Then tho black ant droprod his head
and dashed after his his. Ialterins ine Tho
him rapidly and presently no stopped. faced
about, and brGced himself for tao inevitable:
the nHck ant Kent straight on threw hmTGi
two ants bit and wrcstled and tumnlnd about
on tho floor OF tho piazza for two or three mill
utcs. md ut asst the black ant killed his an:
tagonist. Picking him up in his powerful
JAWS, he started TOWARD tho further end Of tho
rin2Hi with MN. III u bear could pick up in his
mouth another bear as heavy as himself and
start of with him on a Gailop aud II, easily rs
II he were entirely unhurdCnr he would prac-
tlcny he doing what this ant WIS doing.
when the AM was hal, way across tn" piazza
with his victim he camo To u crack nearly an
inch wide, between two boards. II was too
wide for him 70 get over but down near tho
outer edge of tho piazza tho crack was much
narrower, and the ant ran down along it until
he came to the narrow place. where he sue
cocded IN mhking crossing. This brought
him beneath the lower rail Of the lattice work
around tho piazza. whore theru WAS the re:
mains OF an abandoned spider well. SOME OF It
on the, noor Beiore no knew II the DIE ant
butted into the web. Instantly Ia dropped his
prey and tui ned to escape from tho tra3. In
doing 50 hetansled his hind logs in tho ragged
web Ho gave two or three sIronE tugs and
broke loose but took with him AN inch or more
OF the wob. which unilcl from hi hind legs.
The ant was now like u h ,Ar In n tr.p Which
he must escape from, or DO lost tn, big in
sect pull cd himself plong by his front lc@-. his
hind logs brin; useless. handicapped 40 they
were by tho Web sticking out from ne edge
OF the crack which tho nit had crossed 80
much to his discontinue and peril was II
splinter on the board on TINT side The free
end of tho splinter WAS raised about an eighth
of an inch above the board The ant dragged
himself as far as the splinter and stopped. Hs
IN the silver hs put his Rsant It and
era " the spiint.r Won't into the erscs. dragged
himself along the edge Of the board. came
up again on The surface below whore the spun-