The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-10-28
Warrior Ants on the March.

From the omaha Morning world-Herald.
1t was in Honduras, near the Caribbean
coast, while on a Government survey, that |
first saw the warrior ants-those strange in
sects which march through the tropical
forests in armies, attacking every living
creature in their path. One intensely hot
day, as [ sat in hammock under the
matched roof of my bamboo hut, native
came running in, and, with excited gest-
ures, bade me follow him. did so won
deriugly, and, going ont into the open,
looked in the direction he indicated
There on the rolling savanna stretcheda
wide black belt extending far back into
the deep shadows of the adjacent forest.
1t rose and fell with every formation of
the ground, and, like huge snake, slowly
crept toward the village ''The warrior
ants; explained the native in strange
patois of English and Spanish which shall
not attempt to initiate. "They will soon
be here, he continued. "You had better
unite your dogs, or the ants will kill them"
Acting upon his advice loosed my dogs,
and, retiring to a safe distance, watched
the approach ofthe warriors. In countless
multitudes they swarmed over the plain,
marching in compact order, like a we'll
drilled army Before them scurried a
heterogeneous mass of lizards, grasshop-
pers, frogs, beetles, and other manner of
insects and reptiles, in wild scamper to
reach place of safety.
Presently the advance guard reached my
hut and disappeared within, then the main
column appeared, and soon the roof, floor,
walls, and rafters were black with them.
Like the soft rustic of dried grass stirred
by gentle breeze came the sound of their
presence in the leaves of my thatohed roof.
The sound increased in loudness as the
rats, mice, lizards, cockroaches, centipedes,
and others of their ;lk, who had long made
the roof their home, tried vainly TO escapes
Some succeeded in getting away from the
house, but only to fall victims to the sur
rounding hordes without. One large
cockroach, noticed, made plucky fight,
but; overpowed by numbers, he gradually
relaxed his efforts, and was soon dismem-
bered, each ant carrying off portion of
his body as a trophy.
The most exciting battle was with
snake about three feet long that tried to
slip a away unseen. The ants quickly
surrounded him, however, and fought with
terrible ferocity. With every switch of
his tail the snake killed score of his tor
mentors, but their places were soon filed
by the black swarm which swept unceas-
ingly on. Finally the writings Of the
snake became fainter and fainter and at
last ceased entirely, and then, aud not until
then, did the ants relinquish their attack
All day long they marched through the
house until, at sundowR. the end of the
column had passed and was lost to view in
the thickness of the forest
entered the house and prepared to
survey ruefully my larder, but my antici-
pations of sorrow were premature, for there
were all my provisions as had left them
untouched. There was but one excep-
tion-a poor turtle which | had tied to q
stake that morning, intending to keep him
alive for few days before making him into
soup. he was stone dead, but the rumpled
earth about him showed that he had made
hard fight for life. Not dead ant was
to be seen; they had all been carried off by
their comrades. | afterward learned that
the warrior ants refuse to touch any food
that they themselves have not caught and
slain, which accounted for my provisions
remaining unmoIeSted.