The Portland daily press., 1895-01-29
THE ANT MAN.
A Useful Individual in the Tropics Who
Fights the Insect with Smoke.

cool climates, which run at Gne S1gnG OF
sound of people, build their humble
nests under stone or the roots OF trees,
and content themselves with gentleman
ly little thefts of seeds or grain, or such
small matters-to look at these gentle
little fellows you would never imagine
that there are some branches of their
family, distants cousins, which are fierce
in the pursuit of their human ne1ghbors'
goods, SO strong and so intelligent that
even grown men are afraid of them, and
sometimes whole villages turn out to
fight them. But it is SO, and these eyes
of mine have looked upon them and their
ru thless doings.
/ The formiga, as the destroyer is called,
constructs citadel for itself under
ground, it's only communication with the
world above being by secret passages.
II it can find any wood lice thereabouts
it captures and carries them home,
makes yard for them. a veritable farm
yard, and keeps them content by furnish
ing supply of fresh leaves every day,
lust for all the world as we feed our
farm stock. The formiga is a marauder
of it's own kindred, too, making raids
on it's weaker cousins and bearing of
their eggs, which, in due course OF hatch
ing become the slaves of their captors.
Usually the people of those tropical
regions pay little attention to the doings
of the formiga. They come and go, as
they list, running over the rooms, TABLES,
dishes; they are fished out of the butter,
trapped out of the bread and cake. 1t is
all matter OF course.
But when these sturdy little fellows In
wade the house in swarnls, and warm
reception-poiling waterfalls to dimin-
ish the nuisance, when 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 load OF
a certain kind Of wood found in the
neigh boring forests. After stopping up
all the openings leading under the house
except a central one. he enlarges that
and forms it into furnace that will ad-
nit the pipe of the kllows.
Then he lights 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 assis-
tant to work the bellows, and going into
the house. stops up every aperture and
crack that he can find. 5N
Meanwhile there is a wild commotion
among these doomed insects, whose home
is being bonn barded with smoke. They
understand their danger with the very
first puff that reaches them, and know
all hasten to the central cham Der, 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 subterranean passages that lead into
the garden, DESERVING their homes and
carefully stored stock of provisions, but
holding 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 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 man is patrolling the grounds
around the house. AS the old or new
galleries are cleared out by inc prave
little ants the smoke penetrates them.
and comes to the surface in thin
wreath. They are thus betrayed as well
as smothered, 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
highways and byways, and the frail
bodies of The formiga are shriveling and
dropping along their line of attempted
retreat Soon they cease to struggle.
They cannot breathe the rarified, smoke
laden air. The next day when the sold
has cooled off, they are found calcined
in their once busy galleries, their roast
ed eggs at their sides. Poor little Great
ures!
But their human victims call the ant
man a blessing.