Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-07-28
NUMBER 81.
INTELLECTUAL ANTS.
THEY ARE SAID TO BE THE MOST IN
TElLIeENT OF INSECTS.

tions That May Be Likened to Those oi
Man-some Work, While Others Do Nc
Labor, but Live SumptuousIy.
go to the ant, thou sluggard con
slider her ways and be wise,'' said Solo
mon over 5000 years ago, and the re.
searches of modern naturalists have
only confirmed the excellence of the
wise mans advice in holding up the ami
as an example for man, for among in.
vertebrate animals the ant holds the
same position that man does among the
vertebrate. The ant is the most intel.
leetual of all insects
Ants are truly wonderful insects.
They build houses, train soldiers, en-.
slave ants and other insects inferior tG
themselves; they are capable agricul-
turists, fer they keep a species of milk
kline. clear the ground, sow grain, reap
and gather into barns They are social
insects, and in many respects are exam
pies in miniature of man. They have
their monarchs, pride themselves on
their aristocracy, and also indulge to
excess in Intoxicating liquors.
Ants are divided into three classes
males, females (or queens) and neutera
(workers). The two former are winged,
and their sole duty in life is to multiply
their species. Immediately after pairing
the male ATS die, and the queens, re-
nouncing the pomps aud yanities of this
world, henceforward devote themselves
to the duties of maternity. To the lot
Of the neuters falls all the work Some
of them are told off to wait on the
queens, whom they feed and care for
with the greatest attention. Each batch
Of eggs, as soon as they are laid, are
carried away aud deposited in the hatch
ing chambers open to the rays of the
sun. The workers nurse the ant babies
when they appear, putting them in the
warm upper galleries by day and re-
moving them at night into the snuggest
lower chambers.
After several months careful nursing
and feeding, the larya passes into the
pupa stage, and spins itself into CO.
coon, from which it emerges a full
grown ant 1t is these cocoons that are
sold as "ants' eggs" the real eggs are
so minute that even the ants themselves
could not pick them up in their mandi-
bles were not several fastened together
by natural gum. Queen ants, accord
ing to Sir John Lubbock, live as long as
ten years, while DIR. Dallinger states
that worker ants live from four to six
years The queen ants are treated with
the utmost reverence, and while the
corpse Of a worker ant is usually imme-
diately disposed of the body of a queen
is often preserved as long as Is months
after its death
The ant has three simple and two
compound eyes, the latter consisting of
from 250 to / 200 lenses each. La pass
ing, it may be mentioned that the ordi-
nary house fly has 1000 lenses, the gad-
fly 1000 and the dragon fly 90 900
lenses to each eye. Physically, as we'll
as intellectually, ants are the giants Of
the insect world; they can easily carry
even ten times their own weight.
The ant houses are most marvellous
examples of construction. Part of the
nest is above the ground and part below
it. These houses are often 40 stories in
sticks and earth. The subterranean part
is honeycombed into passages and cells
and all the tunnels and galleries run
into one common center-the public
hall of the ant colony. The government
is republic, and various colonies have
been known to mass together for the
purpose Of defense. A Swiss scientist
has discovered regular empire of ants,
covering an area of 200 square yards,
and containing 200 colonies or republics
with population of 10000. 900 ants
There are many species of ants which
are incapable of managing their own
nests or of rearing their young, and
these in consequence impress into their
service the workers of other species of
ants and leave all the rough work to
their captives. Periodically the master
ants set off on slave hunting expedi-
tion. They find out the nest of a special
ant whose aid they need. They raid it
and. overcoming its defenders, enter and
bear off triumphantly the pup9. These
are carried to the masters nest, where
they are speedily Matched, and knowing
no other home and forced by instinct
to work they toll industriously for their
masters. So lazy and dependent upon
their willing slaves do the master ants
become that at length they are unable
to feed themselves. Food has been
placed before these lords of the ant cre-
alton, and they would not even take the
trouble to cat Then some slave ants
were introduced. They tidied up the
place and fed their masters. g.
The ants have some method of know
ing members of their own tribe. If an
ant is put into strange colony, it is in
stantly killed as an intruder, while if
one is taken from its home and restored
to it after % long lapse of time it is i'm
mediately welcomed and recognized.
Sir John Lubbock took IL ants, 6 from
each of two different colonies and made
them drunk. Then they were all put
back into one of the colonies. sThe ants
inspected them, carried away their COM
panions and took care of them until
they recovered, while the foreigners
were dropped into the water. A large
dead fly was put on the table, and one
ant Immediately went over and pulled
at it, but found himself unable to
move it. He then went away, and
speedily returned with three compan-
ions and by their united efforts the fly
was carried away.
It has long been known that some
species of ants are in the habit of acting
III exactly the same manner as man in
keeping insect cows for the sake Of the
milk they supply The ordinary green
fly, or aphis, is to the ant what the
COW is to man This green fly is capable
Of exuding from two nipplelike projee.
tions sort Of liquid gum, of which
ants are extremely fond.
Tne principal varieties of the opal
are the precious Cor noble), the girasol.
the cachelong, the hyalite, the hydro.
phane, the astoria and kind exhibitino
aendsitis markings, generally called the
moss. When the colors are broken into