The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-18
iCHITIs. GRIP
THE Ant MAN.
A Useful Individual in the Tropics Who
Fights the Insects With Smoke.

From the Chicago Times.
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 stone or the roots of trees. and
content themselves with gentlemanly lit
tie thefts of seeds or grain. or such small
matters-to look at these gentle little fell
lows you would never imagine that there
are some branches of their family, distinct
cousins. which are herce in the pursuit of
their human neighbors' goods, so strong
and so intelligent that even grown men
are afraid of them, and sometimes whole
villages turn out to fight them. But il is
so, and these eyes of mine have looked
upon them and their ruthless dongs.
The formiga, as the destroyer is called,
constructs citadel for itself under
ground. its only communication with the
world above being by secret passages. If
it can find any wooG-lce whereabouts il
captures and carries them home, makes
a yard for them, a veritable farm yard.
and keeps them content by furnishing
a supply of fresh leaves every day, just
for all the world as we feed our farm
stock The formga is a marauder of its
own kindred. too, making raids on its
weaker cousins and bearing off their eggs,
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the slaves of their captors.
Usually the people of those tropical re-
gions pay little attention to the doings of
the formiga. The come and go as they
list, running over the rooms, tables,
dishes; they are fished out of the butter.
tapped out of the bread and cake. 1t is
all matter of course
But when these sturdy little fellows in
wade the house in swarms and a warm
reception-boiling waterfalls to diminish
the nuisance, then the service of the ant
man becomes necessary, and he is sent for
in hot haste. His stock in trade is an
enormous bellows. and a load OF certain
kind of wood found in the neighboring
forests After stopping up all the OPEN
ings leading under the house except a
central one, he enlarges that and forms
it into "A furnace that will admit the pipe
of the bellows.
Then he lights a fire, and with the aid
of the great bellows forces the smoke into
the ant citadel 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 a wild connection
among these doomed insects whose home
L
understand their danger with the very
first puff that reaches them, and know
that their only hope is flight. They all
hasten to the central chamber, where
their precious eggs are stored. At a given
signal from their chief each one seizes
an egg, then all turn in haste into the sub
terranean passages that lead into the
garden, deserving their homes and care
fully stored stock of provisions, but hold
ing fast TO the treasured eggs
But there before them are cruel wreaths
of blue smoke. They turn and rush to
another passage. The same thing there
As a forlorn hope the poor ants-we can't
help feeling sorry for them after all
run into the old deserted galleries, or set
TO work to make new ones, hoping their
enemy will not find them there at least.
But the ant man is patrolling the
grounds around the house. AS the old or
new galleries are cleared out by the brave
little ants the smoke penetrates them and
They are thus betrayed as well as smoth-
cred, and stroke of the spade ends their
frantic efforts TO escape.
All this time fresh quantities of the hot
smoke are being forced through their
les of the formiga are shrivelng and
dropping along their line of attempted re-
treat. Soon they cease to struggle. They
cannot breathe the rarihed, smoke-laden
air The next day when the soil has
cooled off, they are found calcined in
their once busy galleries, their roasted
eggs at their sides Poor little creatures!
But their human victims call the ant
man q blessing