The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-03
ANTS WAYS AND WISDOM.
REMARKABLE SKILL SHOWN BY
SOME DIMINUTIVE HUNTERS.

observations of Naturiist-Out-
whiting of Caterpillar by Ants.
Defeat of a Hunting Party-Excit-
Ing Adventure Of BLACK Ant.
Chester IN. " Letter New York Sun.
| Solomon knew what he was talking
! about said the naturalist, when in MS
positive way he advised the sIuggard to
consider the ant. Let me tell you Of some
ways Of the ant that have considered.
zone summer day 1 was lying on the
! grass in the shade of an apple tree, look
| up listiessly into the trembling mazes Of
! It's branches The lower branch of the
| tree was not more than four feet above
me, and presently.I saw one Of those little
! caterpillars that let themselves down from
trees by silken threads They spin as
! they descend. and reel up again If they
! take II into their heads to go back. This
| mite fellow was humping along on the
hnD at lively rate, when suddenly II
stopped, and if a caterpillar can look scar
ed, this one did. / soon discovered the
| cause a big black wood ant was coming
| iul tilt on the limb toward the cater
| pillar. If there is anything these vora-
clous ants are fond Of, it is these plump
! anu JUICY tree caterpillars, and the cater
| pillars know 1t. l didn't see any way for
! TINS particular one to escape the clutch Of
mat ant. But l soon found that these
caterpiliars had ways, too, that it is worth
any mans while to consider
When the ant was within two inches
OF its apparently easy prey, the caterpillar
cropped off the limb, and, releasing about
| TWO rect of il silken sable, hung far out
of the reach of its foe The ant hurried
70 the spot where the caterpillar had been,
ana actually fumed, it was SO mad to find
mat II had been foiied. 1t ran frantically
10 and fro, stopping every now and chen
20 glare down at the suspended caterpn-
lar, which had turned its head upward
ana was p.acidly looking back at the ant,
IN what was undoubtedly aggravating en-
Joyment of its disappointment Once the
ant got upon the caterpillar's thread,
where 1t was fastened to the tree. and
MADE as IL 1t would slide down the gossa-
mer thlng and overhaul the worm in mid
ar. The caterpillar plainly suspected as
much Tor 1t Immediately played out some
more Inc and dropped slowly on down to-
| "ard the ground, all the while watching
70 see II the ant really intended to make
tHe Iash trip. But the ant thought bet
yer OIL H. and retreafed, and the caterpillar
paused again in the air.
ne ant fumed about, but by and by
cooled down and went to thinking. 1t
pioneered while and then evidently hit
upon plan of procedure It started rap
lGly along the branch toward the trunk
OF me tree, and l saw il hurry I'D another
Dranch and disappear. When the ant dis
appeared The caterpillar drew itself up it's
capIe toward the branch again. but when
IL had got within a few inches of the
hmo 1t stopped and seemed to do some
pondering itself, the result Of which was
as interpreted The movement Of tha
worm decision that it would be safer sus-
Pehued at secure distance from the
Dough than it would be anywhere upon
the tree; it dropped back to its old place
and hung there motionless.
soon L discovered three big black ants
scurrying down the limb up which the
nrst had gone one of these ants ran
our on the branch the caterpillar was
Ranging from and the other two disap-
peared. The ant that ran out on the limb
disappeared. The ant that ran out on the
limb stopped at the spot where the cater
pllaf Unread was fastened and remained
lhere calmly gazing down at the worm
hanging far below. The two other ants
reappeared on the trunk of the tree, down
Whlch they were hurrying as fast as they
could run. They reached the ground
black, glossy fellows, paused a moment
TO get their bearings, and then made their
way through the grass and stopped direcc-
~ beneath the suspended caterpillar. That
was what the ant up the tree was wait
ing and watching for. The two ANS he
low mad no sooner stopped than the ant
ABOVE proceeded with its part of the pro-
sramme. 1t reached over the side of the
limb, nlpped the caterpilar's cable in two
ana before the poor worm knew what
mad happened 1t had tumbled 10 the
ground, and was instantly bounced upon
by the two fierce ants lying in wait he
low The ant in the tree lost no time
in getting down out of that tree and ioin-
COnn9ntOnc
patched the unfortunate worm. and Ing
ged 1t to their nest in the tree where they
undoubtedly enjoyed their welI-earned
meal. The wisdom Of the ant had been
TOO great for the intelligence of the cater
pillar.
"One day the hired man at farm up
in Pennsylvania where 1 was stopping
that. summer brought in from the garden
a big tomato worm and laid it on the
porch for my inspection-one of those great
rat, hideous-looking green worms. horned
IKE rhlnocerous and nearly three inches
long. AS the worm lay there one of the
large reddish-brown ants that abound in
that locality came up through a crack
in the floor from somewhere under the
porch The ant was nearly half an inch
long. There is also a black ant common
up there. It is much more powerfully
built than the red one, but not so long,
and between the two races there is a dead
pitched battles with immense armies on
each side. Sometimes victory will perch
on the banners of the reds and sometimes
| favors the arms of the blacks. The yic-
tors invariably take the survivors Of the
enemy and make slaves of them
This particular red ant came into sight
through the crack as much as four feet
from where the tomato worm lay, but 1
could see by its actions that il scented TIE
big carcass just as plainly as 1 could have
seen by the actions of a dog in the field
that the dog had got the scent of a bird
The ant ran here and there to and fro up
and down, stopping every few seconds 10
lift up its head as high as it could and
moving it about as if to take the wind Of
it's game, then resuming its hunt, all the
while drawing toward the worm 1t was
three or four minutes before the ant got
the direct line OF the worm, and it was
then about foot away. It dashed straight
for it, and If ever anything showed sur
prise it was that red ant when it brought
up alongside the big carcass. The ant
stood stil at least quarter of a minute
fte baod ra fspd 1oolyipo- M, al tn, I,,,o,