The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-08
MATTER-OF-FACT ANTS.
Business is business With Them, and
They Display Great Intelligence.

From the Kansas City Star.
I. I. Lovelace Of this city. who re-
Gently returned from the intercontinental
railway survey through Central and South
America, says one of the most inter-
esting things to be seen in the tropics
is the leaf-carrying ants, which are found
as far south as 50 degrees south latitude,
which corresponds to the northern part
Of South Carolina in the United States.
In the south latitude" says Mr.. Love-
lace, Il found one species entirely black
and another entirely red. Here were two
distinct species, apparently, of leaf-car-
riers, and, what was more singular, was
the fact that Moro Island did not afford
a single tree or bush for them TO work
on.
The leaf-carrying ant is peculiar 10
tropical America. The two species occupy
dlIterent nests; they are never seen in me
same roadway, and they always enter dii-
ferent holes; but these ants are sIch great
DurroWers that one could not say posi-
lively that the formicaries do not COM
mGnicate with each other under ground.
Their holes do not cross and there IS no
communication between the holes above
ground. AS an experiment, members o.
one colony were transferred by hand 10
the path of another. There was no con-
hict. The strangers merely made haste 10
get away.
ISOlU species, continued MI. LOfcAdeN,
nave the same habits, save that the req
fellows are the most industrious. Inc
black ones always knocked of Work N
the heat of the afternoon, while the req
ones struggled along all day, although
there were fewer workers to be seen
in the paths between u and ocl0eA.
There being no trees on Moro lsland -
supply leaves for the ants, they gatheIed
nay instead. A grass that grew close "
the earth and produced short seed staIAs
was just coming in tassel The seed hea4S
We're Just peeping out from their eIiIoI-,
ing leaves when / was there, and theso
heads Of seed were the favorite harvest.
l saw half-inch ants carrying seed SLAMS
an inch long and twice the weight OF Lns
carrier. They also cut off the grass I ea,bb
ana carried them in, while moist cru nj
OF bread and vegetables were cut up an
carried also. Very dry crumbs were ~
nored. / did not see them carry meat "
freshly killed grasshopper in their pay.
they refused to notice it. But ceI.eiH5
bits of damp, rotten wood were caliI5''
INTO the nests as quickly as SOFT qre sss,,nd
"A peon who came to see what j ~ a
OF interest in the little workers dropgs15 "a
flaming wax match among them Ihss tbs
not seem to see 1t, for they rusheI ny ~, ~
fame as they would have crossed a Dlt u
paper. A number were burned 10 &C.,
while many of them were crippled peiC-J
the flame was eXtinguished. the ud.b
the crippled remained in the PAIN w +i,a
TWO minutes at a spot five feet IIolu -
nest entrance Then came a gang OF WI
ers from the nest, who picked mp me al
and the crippled and carried them sts,iss
inches away into the grass at riSi :, nat
10 the path The wounded were lell uiI1-s
tended as were the dead The Wels,,ri
then attacked the extinguisnrH Ia 4
taper. II was nearly an inch long , 1,ii h
dozen Cby count took hold OF ~ DulI one
in all directions az once, rolled " W. and
another over. stood on their heads ~ -
crawlcd under a. while the lear ciLt-ty
streamed By and over them, hppa .,es
needless af their presence IL Whs teo
~ wholly undirecfed labor. for ans N
POSSIBLY any one) could have afat st..a1
from the path. but IL took the dozen tt II
minutes 10 tumble IL across two Hl
the path. ga
while IN Honduras an AWfIl.-it .e.6s
me that the leaf-cuftinF ans Waf io 49,.
Tor much 81 the iaziness ~ tNr le,iti.
VINO % not Try 90 mako eafafAe 'l.sfr1r
waite frult trees because inc aNIa ne
everything 81 thaf kind More rr
American solved the problem fr-
these ante away from DE saf atsr
fins dfeH AROUND a ana Keen
running Thought M. an elective DBL