The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-08-03
A TEXAS GATEWAY.
Wonderful Ingenuity OF the Tiny Ants
the LONE Star State.

the Lone Star state.
The authorN of Tenants of an Old
Farm" tells Of one Of the remarkable
habits of the cutting-ants in Texas, as
observed by him. 1t relates TO the
opening and shutting Of the gates
which communicate with the interior
Of the mound nests, which he found
were opened and closed before and
after every exit the ants make. These
gates are simply little heaps of dry
leaves, twigs and other refuse, which
are seen scattered here and there over
the mound as one approaches it in day
time.
When first saw them l was COM
pletely deceived, and thought them
nothing more than accidental accumu-
lations. I found out, however, that
these piles were raised above the sur
face opening of the galleries that pen
etrated the mound and filed the
mouths to the depth sometimes of an
inch and half.
The leaves and chips were inter
mingled with pellets of soil, and occa-
sionally below them the galleries were
| quite sealed with pellets. The gal
leries frequently slant inward from
the gate, and at as great an angle as
forty-five degrees. Sometimes they de-
fleet short distance from the top
These comformations allow more read
lily the process of closing, as they give
purchase to the material used.
The doors are opened about dusk.
First appear the minims, the very
small forms, creeping out of minute
holes, which they have doubtless made
by working inside and carrying grains
of sand away from the heap. Present.
ly larger forms follow, carrying away
bits Of refuse, which they drop .
couple of inches, more or less, from tho
gate.
This is slow process, and ap-
parently nothing is accomplished for .
long time. But evidently the whole
mass of plugging is thus gradually
loosened. Then comes the final burst,
with soldiers majors and minors in the
lead, who rush out, bearing before
them the rubbish, which flies here and
there, and in few moments is cleared
| away from the gallery and spread
around the margin of the gate.
/ These chips are doubtless gathered
together for this purpose, and are
among the treasured properties of the
ants, being kept near by for such
service. easily identified many pieces
as being thus used several days in sue
cession.
The doors remain open to give exit
and entrance to the swarms Of leaf
gatherers until morning, when they
are gradually closed, the process CON
tinuing in some cases until half-past
ten. In shutting up the house the min
ors appear to begin by dragging the
scattered refuse toward the hole.
One by one they are taken in and
the ingenuity shown in this is verJ
great. The workers proceed by ad
justing the longest stalks and leaves
that can stretch across and wedge int<
the mouth of the gallery, and then lay
ing the shorter ones atop of these.
. AS the hole gradually flls up tn,
smaller castes Of workers appear upo,
the field and take up the work to which
their slighter frames are adapted.
The last touches are carefully ant
delicately made by the minims who il
small squads fill in the remaining in
. terstices with minute grains of sand
and finally the last laborer steals il
behind some bit of leaf and the gate i
| closed