The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-08
AFTER BIG GAME.
The Exciting Adventures of Black
Ant on a Hunting Trip.

A black ant, very large aud plainly out
Tor business, appeared the other day at one
end OF the long piazza of the Lyman farm
house in this village. He was moving rap
idly alon g, ZigZagging here and there and
circing about like bird dog at work in
game covey. when suddenly an ant almost
as big as himself came dashing from the
other edge OF the piazza. his course directly
toward the black ant. This ant was reddish
brown, Of a race between which and the
race of black ants there is for some reason
a bitter feud. Whether this ant saw his
gllstening black enemy or not at first does
not appear. but it was plain that the black
ant saw him when he was still three or four
feet distant. for the black stopped In his
maneuvering on the piazza and stood still.
facing the other, with his head elevated.
He did not move from his position until the
red ant had advanced within a foot of him,
stopped suddenly as if he had just diseov-
cred the black. stood for lew seconds ap-
parently sizing him up, and then turned
and took course at an abrupt angle from
the spot, his Inspection having evidently
salts fed him that probably discretion was
the better part Of valor Then the black
ant dropped his head and dashed after his
faltering foe. The red ran yard Or so.
but The otner gained on him rapidly, and
presently he stopped, faced about and
braced himself for the inevitable. The
black ant kept straight on, threw himself
upon the other, and q fierce fight was on.
The two ants bit and wrestled and tumbled
about on the floor OF the piazza for two.0r
three minutes. and at last the black ant
killed his antagonist. Picking him up in
his powerful jaws be started toward the
further end of the piazza with him. Ii
bear could pick up in his mouth another
bear AS heavy as himself aud start OFF on
gall0p. as easily as II he were entirely un-
burdened, lie would probably be doing
what this ant was doing.
When the ant was bali way across the pr
aZza with his victim he came TO a crack
nearly an inch wide between two boards.
1t was too wide for him to get over. but
down near the outer edge Of the piazza the
crack was much narrower, and the ant ran
down along it until he came to the narrow
place, where lie succeeded in managing
crossing. This brought him beneath the
lower rail of the lattice work around the
piazza, where there were the remains of an
abandoned spider web some of it on the
floor. Before he knew 1t the big ant butted
into the web. Instantly he dropped his
prey and turned to escape from the trap.
In doing so he tangled his hind legs in the
ragged web. He gave two or three strong
tugs and broke loose, but took with him an
inch or more Of the web which trailed from
bis hind legs.
The ant was now Ike bear In a trap
which DO must escape from or be lost The
big insect pulled himself along by his front
capped as they were by the web Sticking
out from one edge of the crack. which the
ant had crossed so much to his discontinue
and peril, was splinter on the board on
that side. The free end OF the splinter was
raised about an eighth Of an inch above the
board. The ant dragged himself as far as
the splinter and stopped. He seemed sud-
denly TO become greatly interested in the
silver. He put his nose against it and stood
as If engaged in deep thought By and by
h.z nd oil md AZ fhn
upper end of the splinter went in the
crack, dragged himself along the edge of the
board. came up again on the surface below,
where the splinter jutied out, and then came
back up TO the upper end OF IL again. He
repeated this trip, and by this means made
hitch round the splinter with the trailing
web. This done. he came on slowly up the
board, pulling steadily, until he pulled his
legs gradually free of the web aud left 1t
hutteriag like tiny streamer on the spliD-
ter. Then he stopped. stroked his hind legs
against one another until he bad got them
in shape again and started at a terrific pace
up along the edge Of the crack
He had Travelled about four feet when he
stopped as If he had been stricken dead aud
sQua,ted tight against the board Five
inches ahead of him and an iIch aud half
from the crack sat large bluefly. 1t was
turned with its head partially toward him.
1t could see him, and the ant knew it. The
ant remained motionless for a second or
TWO anu then tdIDbu huu TttIdCSu HIS St6US
leisurely. He followed his back track in
open sight for nearly two feet. Then he
climbed down the edge of the board ard
disappeared from the fiy's view, il the fly
was watching him. The instant the ant was
hidden from the fly in the crack though he
turned and rushed back again along the
inner edge of the board. He had calculated
the distance with wonderful precision, for
he stopped in the crack directly opposite
where the Nv sat still. with slightly
changed position.
The ant paused moment and then crept
SLOWLY toward the top of the board. eau
tiously he pushed just enough of his head
above the edge so that he could see the fly,
which sat with its head obliqueiy toward
the crack. For at least two minutes the ant
cluDg to the edge of the board watching the
fly, and the sequel showed that the fly was
either not aware of its presence or very
foolish fly, for it began to walk slowly
around until its back was turned squarely
toward the ant. Then the ant came out Of
that crack with rush and in twlnklng
had its jaws fastened al the base Of zone OF
the fiy's wings. which he nipped off in
stantly. The fly futtered about in its Grip
pied state, but the ant soon nipped off the
other wing. Then selling the plump prey
he started away with it as easily as he mad
started with the vanquished red ant. taking
IL down off of the piazzl TO the ground and
so away TO his nest, wherever that might
be. He had had an exciting, adventurous
and successful hunt.