The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-06

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them, but | leave it to you, as to
which is the worse, eating one of
these gourmands, that is insensible
to pain, or devouring an oyster raw,
Immediately after it has been torn
from the shell and tortured with
lemon-juice and condiments? It's
merely a matter of taste, and prefer
the ant and its honey"
My readers will ask, How did it
happen that so many ants contained
such an over-supply of honeys And
in the explanation we find one of the
most remarkable as we'll as curious
figures of animal life.
The honey-ants are found from
Southern Mexico as far north as Col
orado, and are easily recognized by
the tall, mound-like structures, or
nests, that they erect.
They are like the owl, almost en-
tirely nocturnal, carrying on their
outdoor work at night, although their
domestic duties underground are
probably not neglected during the
day. As soon as the darkness comes
on, they sally out of the subterranean
cities, and wander about, climbing
bushes and trees in search of the food
of their choice, which, curiously
enough, is honey.
This will occur to you as an excep-
tional case among ants, as they gen.
orally, perhaps, as rule, feed upon
material that can be stored up; but
here, where the food is liquid, you
would assume that it could not be
laid by for rainy day, so to speak.
for the simple reason that the ants
have no tanks, TASKS, or bottles 10
hold their supply, nor the ingenuity
to make them.
Let us not say, however, that they
have not sufficient intelligence to find
substitute, as they certainly have,
and we find it in the curious dessert
set before us in the City of Mexico.
If we examine one of these ants we
shall find that the abdomen, or rear
larger portion, is protected by ten
plates or bands that are movable
and as they are connected or under
laid by very delicate membrane,
almost like rubber, they can be
stretched apart to wonderful de-
gree, allowing the abdomen to as
sumo the appearance of a balloon
four or five times its normal size. The
ants also have crop that is capable
of great distension, and governed by
sets of powerful muscles; in other
respects they resemble ordinary
ants.
Now, by some arrangement, wheth-
er by agreement taking their turn, or
by force, is not known, certain ants
are selected by the others as living
bottles; in other words, they are OBJ
liged to receive the supply brought
in by the rest, and retain it. When
the foraging ants return, they have
their crops filled with honey, and pro-
coed directly to the bottles.
Placing their mouths in contact
with that of the unfortunate living
receptacle, by contraction of the mus
cles mentioned, the contents of the
crop are forced out and into the bot
tie. Ant after ant unloads in this
way, until the elasticity of the reci-
pient is tested to the utmost and it
can receive or hold no more.
The insect is then absolutely help
less. The crop and abdomen have
expanded until it resembles an am
ber-hued sac, as we have seen, the
size of currant, the head and limbs
having almost disappeared, hanging
upon the side like stem, while the
other organs within the little crea-
ture are SO pressed out of shape that
it is with the greatest difficulty they
are traced.