Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-08-03
POWER OF NUMBERS.
THE RESlSTLESS MARCH OF THE
SOLDIER OR DIVER ANT.

Eat Everything I'm the Form Of
Food-One OF Natures Most In.
vincibie Creatures.
We are apt to consider ourselves the
most powerful and all-conquering
members of the animal world, and
next to us We range such creatures as
the lion, tiger, grizzly bear, and ele-
phant, as capable Of maintaining their
own against all comers in an open
hand-to.haud or mouth-to-mouth fight.
Yet in doing so We err greatly, simply
because we consider mere bigness or
muscular force, forgetting the energy
and the intellectual powers that make
one of natures tiny creatures, when
combined in the vast numbers in
which they are always found, by far
the most formidable animal force
known on land. Therefore, when the
question is put to us, (Which do you
consider the most resistless of all ami
mals?" it is always safe to reply that
if warlike manifestations are referred
to, the soldier or driver ants far and
away are the most terribly invincible
creatures with which we can be
brought in contact.
Monsieur Coillard, a French mis-
sionary in the Barotse Valley of South
Central Africa, thus writes OF these
terrors there: Gone sees them busy
in innumerable battalions, ranked
and disciplined, winding along like
broad black ribbon of watered silk,
Whence come they? Where are they
going? Nothing can stop them nor
can any object change their route. If
it ia an inanimate object, they turn it
aside and pass on; if it is living they
assail it venomously, crowding one on
top of the other to the attack, while
the main army passes on, businesslike
and silent. Is the obstacle a trench
or stream OF water? Then they form
themselves at its edge into compact
mass. Is this a celebrating assembly?
Probably, for soon the mass stirs and
moves on, crosses the trench or
stream, continues in its incessant and
mysterious march. A multitude OF
these soldiers are sacrificed for the
common good. and these legions,
which know not what it is to be
beaten, pass over the corpses of these
victims to their destination"
Against these tiny enemies no man
nor band of men, no lion or tiger, nor
eveu herd of elephants, can do any
thing but hurriedly get out of the
way. Among the Barotte natives q
favorite form of capital punishment is
to coat the victim with grease and
throw him before the advancing army
of soldier ants. The quickness with
which the poor wretch is dispatched is
marvellous when it is considered that
each ant can do nothing more than
merely tear out small particle OF
flesh and carry it off. Yet in a sur
prisingly short time the writhing VIC
tim will have been changed into
skeleton Of clean and polished bones
that will make the trained anatomist
envious.
All are familiar with the tales of
how these armies OF ants enter trop-
ical village aud take entire possession
OF it, driving its inhabitants out in
terror, and at last in a few hours or
day or two abandoning it cleaner than
the arts OF the most orderly house
keeper could ever make it. These
are not travellers tales. The most
gifted pen must fail to give an ade-
quate idea to the uninitiated of just
how thorough and searching these
creatures are in ridding a house OF
every bit of animal or vegetable mat
ter in it. Perhaps. however, the mar
ration OF the following bit of personal
experience may help to illustrate it.
1 had returned from days tramp in
the hills, laden with trophies in the
shape Of tropical insects, some OF them,
perhaps, new to the eyes Of scientists,
and all of certain value, when was
called out Of my house by the cry,
"The driver ants, the driver ante"
Hastily placing most of my collections
in glass jars and tin boxes, so as to be
out of the reach of the invaders, and
gathering such clothes as 1 would
need for day or two, made rather
undignifed retreat. After / had done
so remembered tha. had left some
rare bees pinned in . box that was in
the pocket Of my collecting Coat, but
as the coat had been placed in strong
chest and this chest was heavily
scented with naphthalin or ia. CAM
phor," and the lid fitted down very
tight, l felt that they were safe. The
next morning when went back, after
a night spent in my hammock in a
tamarind tree, found that OF bunch
of bananas, consisting of thick stem
and about 100 Of the fruit, there was
no trace whatever, save the dangling
string with which it had been hung
from the ceiling; and not a vestige of
bread, chocolate, coffee, and other eat.
able odds and ends could be found on
the thoroughly cleaned shelves ON
which some food had been left. Even
the cracks between the floor boards
had been cleaned out, the particles of
edible matter having been carried
away or devoured and the mere dust
left where it would easily be swept
away.
This was not 90 bad, for a good
cleaning never hurts a house in the
tropics; but when I came to examine
my chest and found that hole quite
wo inches in diameter had been torn