The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-08-01
Natures Most InyInclble Creatures
BY DIR. EUGENE MURRAY AARON.

BY DIR. EUGENE MURRAY AARON.
We are apt to consider ourselve!
the most powerful and all conquerin(
members Of the animal world, ane
next to US We range such creatures al
the lion, tiger, grizzly bear and ele
phant, as capable of maintaining theil
own against all comers in an open
hand-to-hand or mouth h-to-mouth fight
Yet in doing so we err greatly, simply
because we consider mere bigness Of
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 fai
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
animals ?" it is always safe to reply
that if warlike manifestations are re-
ferred to, the soldier or driver ants
are far and away the most terribly in
vincible 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: "One sees them busy
in innumerable battalions, ranked
and disciplined, winding along like a
| broad black ribbon of Watery silk.
Whence come they? Where are they
going? Nothing can stop them nor
can any object change their route. If
it is 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 trench
or stream of water Then they
form themselves at its edge into a
compact mass. Is this celebrating
assembly Probably, for soon the
mass Rtirs and moves on, crosses the
trench or stream, continues in it's in
cessant and mysterious march. A
multitude of these soldiers are sacri-
feed 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 desti-
nation"
Against these tiny enemies no man,
nor. band of men, no lion or tiger, nor
even herd of elephants, can do
nothing but hurriedly get out Of the
way. Among the Barotse natives a
fa7orite 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 wretch is dispatched is
marvellous when it is considered that
each ant can do nothing more than
merely tear out a small particle Of
flesh and carry it of. Yet in a sur.
prisingly short time the writhing vic
tim will have been changed into
skeleton Of skeleton of clean and pol
ished bones that will make the trained
anatomist envious.
All are familiar with the tales Of
how these armies of ants enter a trop-
ical village and take entire possession
of it, driving it's inhabitants out in
terror, and at last in a few hours or a
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 adequate idea
to the uninitiated of just how thor,
ough and searching these creatures
ARE in Kidding house Of every bit Of
animal and vegetable matter in it.
Perhaps, however, the narration Of
the following bit Of personal expert.
ence may help to illustrate it. I 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
apa all Of certain value, when [ was
called out of my house by the cry
"The driver ants, the driver ants.
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 I would
need for day or two, I made rather
undignifed retreat. After had done
so I remembered that I 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 a strong
chest and this chest was heavily
scented with naphthalin or "tar cam
phot," and the lid fitted down very
tight, I felt that they were safe. The
next morning when I went back, after
q night spent in my hammock in {
tamarind tree, found that of a bunch
Of bananas, consisting of thick stem
and about 100 of the fruit, there waE
no trace whatever, save the dangling
string with which it had been hung
from the ceiling; and not vestige Of
bread, chocolate, coffee and other eat
able odds and ends could be found OIL
the thoroughly cleaned shelves or
which some food had been left. Ever
the cracks between the floor boards
had been cleaned out, the particle!
of edible matter having been carried
away or devoured and the mere dust
left where it could easily be swept
away.
This was not so bad, for a good
cleaning never hurts house in the
tropics but when came to examine
my chest and found that hole quite
two inches in diameter had been torn
in one end through an inch board o1
| hard wood, that the box in my coat
pocket had also been pierced and ev
cry one of the pins on which my
beetles had been arranged stood II
place as empty and clean as wher
taken out of the paper, I had better
idea of the thoroughness of these tiny
scavcngers than ever before.-Sctcn
tifc american.