Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-09-06
INTELLECTUAL ANTS.
THEY ARE SAID 70 Be THE MOST IN
TELLIGENT or INSEcTS.

lions That May Be I.ikened Those of
s-an-some Wor--, While Others Do 20
Labor, but Live suiHp:aousIy.
go TO the ant, thou sIuggard; con-
cider Eer ways and be wise,'' said Solo
mon over 1000 years ago, and the re-
searches of modern naturalists have
only confirmed the excellence Of the
wise mans advice in holding up the ant
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
lectual Of all insects.
Ants are truly wonderful insects.
They build houses, train soldiers, en-
slave ants and other insects inferior to
themselves; they are capable agricul
turists, for 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 Oh
their aristOcrscy, and also indulge to
excess in Intoxicating liquors.
Ants are divided into three classes
males, females Cor queens) and neuters
(workeTs). The two former are winged,
and their sole duty III life is TO multiply
their species. Immediately after pairing
the male ants die, and the queens, Ie-
nouncing the pOmps and vanltles of this
world, hcnceforward devote themselves
TO the duties of maternity. To the lot
Of the neuteEs falls all the work. Some
Of them ara 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 and deposited IN tine hatch
ing chambers open TO the rays of the
sun. The workers nurse the ant babies
when they appear, putting them il the
warm upper galleries by day and re-
moving them at night into the snnggest
lower chambers.
After several months carefEl nursing
and feeding, the ldrva passes into the
pupa stage. and spins itself into a 60
coon, from which it energies q full
grown ant. Il is these coCosns that are
sold as ANTS eggs" this real eggs are
so minute that even the ants themselves
could not pick them M in their mandi-
blCs were not several fastened together
by natural gum. Queen ants, accord
ing to Sir John Lubbock, live as long as
ten years, while DR. DalliuGer states
that worker ants live from fOHr 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 4 queen
is often preserved rs long as 5 months
after its death.
The ant has three simple and two
compound eyes, the latter consisting OF
from $50 To ], 200 lenses each. In pass
ing, it may be mentioned that the ordl-
nary house fly has /, 600 lenses, the CAD
fly II, 600 and the dragon fly 10000
lenses 10 each eye. Physically, as well
Us 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 III
height, and are built of stones, leaves,
sticks and earth. The subterranean part
is honeycumbed into passages and cells
and all the tunnels and galleries run
into one common ccnter-the public
hall of the ant colony. The government
is q republic, and various colonies have
been known to mass together for the
purpose of defense. y Swiss scientist
covering an area of 200 square yards,
and containing 200 colonies or republics
with population Of 40, 900 900 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 IL
and, overcoming its defenders, enter and
bear of triumphartly the pupe. These
are carried to the masters nest, where
they are speedily Matched, and knowing
no other home and forced by instinct
20 work they toll industriOusly for their
masters. so lazy and dependent upon
their willing slaves do the master ants
become that az length they are unable
to feed themselves. Food has been
placed before these lords of the ant Gre
alton. and they would not even take the
trouble TO eat. Then some slave ants
were introduced. They tidied up the
place and fed their masters.
Tho ants have some method of know
ing members Of their own tribe. If an
ant ID put into n strange colony, II Is in
stantly killed rs an intruder, while If
one is taken from its home and restored
To it after long lapse Of time il Is i'm
rnediately welcomed and recognized.
Sir John Lubbock took - ants, from
each OF two different colonies, and made
them drunk. Then they were all put
back into enc Of the colonies The ants
inspected them carried away their COM
paniCns and took care of them until
they recovered. while the foreigners
were dropped into the water. \ large
dead fly was put on the table, and one
ant Immediately went over and pulled
1t II, but found himself unable TO
move it. He then went away, and