The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1894-01-30
CONTINUED from lat Pdge.)

way to get anything as large as the
worm to it, except by the opening
between the ground and the floor at
one end Of the porch. The only way
to get to that was to go down of
the porch by two steps and follow a
marrow plank walk along one side Of
il for ten feet to the open end.
hadn't the slightest idea that the
ants would attempt such journey
with the ponderous worm, but
found again that ] didn't know ants.
"ln two or three minutes the ex-
element among the disappointed
ants quoted down, and they got to-
gether for business again. After a
consultation they must have come
to the conclusion that II was too
fatiguing a task TO move the worm
in the way that they had moved il
to the crack, and they adopted new
and most surprising tactics. ] saw
first one ant, then another, and then
a score or more OF ants force their
way under the carcass, until it began
to rise from the floor and was at last
entirely clear OF il, resting on the
backs Of the ants that had one by
one wedged themselves beneath il.
Then the carcass began to move,
carried on the backs of two parallel
rows of ants. The rest Of the army
marched along as an escort, and, as
! found out, as a relief corps for the
detachment hearing the burden.
THE steps that led from the
porch to the plank walk were within
a foot of the spot where the carcass
Of the worm had been found by the
diminishing ant, and so they had to
come back all that distance to carry
out their new plan. The burden
was borne along in a steady march,
aud so rapidly II was in a very short
time brought to the edge of the
porch at the steps, where II was put
down. The ants came out from be.
meath II, aud the carcass was quick
iy tunbled over the edge to the first
step, carried to the edge OF that. aud
tumbled to the second, and then to
the walk. There a detachment Of
the army took up the lead in the
way II had been done before. and
the march proceeded along the walk
toward the open end OF the porch.
Half way down the walk the burden
carriers put il down aud another de-
tacbment relieved them and the
march was resumed.
THE caravan had proceeded but
a short distance further, though.
when a panic seemed to strike the
group OF ants that formed the
advance guard. They began run.
ming excitedly to and fro, and the
panic spread to the entire force.
The army halted, and the burden
ants came running out from beneath
the body OF the worm, and il rolled
over on the walk. soon discovered
that this excitement had been caused
by the appearance Of q big black
ant, which had come diminishing up
the walk aud come face TO face with
the caravan OF red ants. The black
ants are the deadly aud dreaded
foes OF the red ants, and the sudden
appearance Of this one had caused
all the alarm. IT the red ants had
been a. good soldiers a. they were
engineers they would have avoided
the disaster that overlook them, for
they would have nj once made the
solitary black ant a prisoner, and
the dire result that followed his
movements would not have been.
upon seeing the advance guard
of the red ants the black ant turned
and dashed back down the walk. He
followed II n couple Of yards and
then disappeared at one side Of Il.
The panic that this ant had thrown
the rcd ones in lasted so long that
they had not recovered from il for
some time after the black ant dis.
appeared. They then resumed their
march rs before, and / could seq
that il was more rapid one, and
that there was much unsasiness in
the army. And there was need to
be, for before the ants had reached
the end OF the porch where they
were to turn of To go under il, up
the walk, on the double quick, came a
horde Of black ants, an army as large
as the forces OF the red ants, il not
larger. The latter were quickly sur
rounded by the blacks, aud in less
than a minute fell victims to their
foes. ! don't think one OF them
escaped. The more powerful black
ants seemed to have no difficulty in
dragging the carcass OF the worm
away, and in very short time they
had disappeared with their plumber
in their nest down the walk, every
memb Der OF their army that was not
required in handling the worm carry
ing the body of red ant home with
! hin, ~ .,.,...,