The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-03-02
THE TROPICAL ANT MAN:

y
Hardy Insects with Smoke.
To look at the mild, timid ants of our
cool climates, which run at the sight or
sound of people, build their humble nests
under n stone or the roots Of a tree, and
content themselves with gcntlemanly lit
tie thaets Of seeds or grain, or such small
matters-to look at these gentle little fel-
lows you would never imagine that there
are some branches Of their family, distant
cousins, which are fierce in the pursuit
Of their human neighbors' goods, so strong
and so intelligent that even grown men
nrc afraid of them, and sometimes whole
Villages turn out to fight them. But it is
so, and these eyes of mine have looked
upon them and their ruthless doings.
The formiga, rs this destroyesHs called,
constructs citadel for itself under
ground its only communication with the
world above being by secret passages. If
it can find any wood lice thereabouts, it
captures and carries them home, makes a
yard for thcm-a veritable farmyarl-and
keeps them content by furnishing supply
Of fresh leaves every day, just for all the
world Is we feed our farm stock The for
miGa is a mQrOuder Of its own kindred, too,
making raids on its weaker cousins and
bearing off their eggs, which, in due
course of Matching, become Che slaves Of
their captors.
Usually the people Of those tropical re-
gious pay little attention to the doings of
the formiga. They come and 80 as they
list, running over the rooms, tables, dishes.
They are iished out Of tho butter, tapped
out OF the bread and cake. 1t is all mat
ter of course.
But when these sturdy little fellows in
wade the house in swarms, and warm re-
Ceptiou-boling waterfalls to diminish
the nuisance, then the services of the ant
man become necessary, and he is sent for
in hot haste. His stock in trade are an
enormous bellows and load Of a GER
tain kind of wood found in the neghbor-
ing forests After stopping up all the open
iugs leading under the house, except a
central one, he enlarges that and forms it
into furnace that will admit the pipe
of the bellows.
Then he lights fire, and with the aid
of the great bellows forces the smoke into
the ant citadels under the surface of the
ground OF course these are very porous,
and when the smoke passes through them
it goes out into the house above. Then
the ant man leaves an assistant to work
the bellows, and going into the house
stops up every aperture and crack that he
can find
Meanwhile there is wild commotior
among those doomed insects, whose home
is being bombarded with smoke. They
understand their danger with the very
first puff that reaches them and know that
their only hope is in flight. They all has
ten to the central chamber, where theil
precious eggs are stored. At given sig
nal from their chief each one seizes an
egg; then all turn in haste into the sub
terranean passages that lead into the gar
den, deserting their homes and carefully
stored stock Of provisions, but holding
fast to the treasured eggs.
But there, before them, are the crue
wreaths Of blue smoke They turn and
rush to another passage. The same thing
there. As a fororn hope the poor ants
we can't help feeling sorry for them aftel
all-run into the old deserted galleries, ol
set to work to make new ones, hoping
their enemy will not find them there al
least.
But the ant man is patrolling the grounC
around the house. As the old or new gal
-leries are cleared out by the braye littl,
ants the smoke penetrates them and come.
to the surface in a thin wreath They ar,
thus betrayed as well as smothered and {
stroke Of the spade ends their frantic eff
forts at escape
All this time fresh quantities of the ho
smoke are being forced through their high
ways and byways, and the frail bodies 0
the formiga are shriveling and dropping
along their line Of attempted retreat, SooI
they cease to struggle. They canno
breathe the rarefed smoke laden air Tn,
next day, when the soil has cooled off
they are found Calcined in their once busl
galleries, their roasted eggs at their side
Poor little creatures!
But their human victims call the an
man a blessing,-Philadelphia Times.