The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19
ANTS WAYS AND WISDOM.
REM<RRA BILE SKILL SHOWN M
SOME DIArINUTIYE HUNTERS.


CHESTER, N. Y, June 1s.-"solomon knew
what'he was talking about" said the naturalist,
whom In his positive way he advised the slug.
gard to consider tho ant. Let me tell you OF
some ways of the ant that 1 have considered.
"One summer day / was lying on tho grass In
the shade OF an apple tree, looking up ~listlessly
into the trembling mazes Of Its branches. TIT
lower branch of the tree was not more than
four feet above me, and presently 1 saw one Of
those little csterpillArs that let themselves
down from trees by silkon threads. They spin
81 they descend, and reel up again II they take 1t
into their heads to 60 back. This little fellow
was humpingsalong on tho limb at a lively rate,
whom suddenly It stopped, and IL a caterpillar
can look scared, this one did. 1 soon discovered
the cause. A big black wood ant was coming
full tilt on the limb toward the caterpillar. II
there Is anything those voracious ants are fond of,
1t Is these plump and juicy tree caterpillars, and
the caterpillArs know 1t. / didn't see any way
for this particular ono to escape the clutch Of
that ant. But 1 soon found that these cater
pillars had ways. too, that 1t is worth any mans
while to consider.
when tho ant was within two inches of its
apparently easy prey, the caterpillar dropped
off the limb, and. releasing about two feet of its
silken cable, hung far out Of the reach Of its foe.
Tho ant hurried to the spot where tho cater
pillar had been. and actually fumed, 1t was so
mad to find that 1t had been foiled. 1t ran
frantically to and fro, stopping every now and
then to glare down at the suspended caterpillar,
which had turned its head upward and was pla-
cidly looking back at the ant, in what was I'M
doubtedly aRgravatinR enjoyment of its disap-
p%ointment. Once the ant got upon the cater
pillars thread, where 1t was fastened to the
tree. and made as II it would slide down tho
gossamer thing and overhaul the worm In mid
air. The caterpillar plainly suspected as much.
for 1t Immediately played out some more line
and dropped slowly on down toward tho ground,
al the while watching to SEQ IL the ant really in
tended TO make the rash trip. But the ant
thought better of 1t, and reiterated. and the cater
pillar paused again in the air.
"The ant fumed about, but by and by cooled
down-and went to thinking. 1t pondered O
while, and then evidently hit upon q plan Of
procedure. 1t started rapidly along the branch
toward the trunk of the tree. and 1 saw 1t
hurry up another branch and disappear. When
the ant disappeared the caterpillar drew itself
up its cable toward the branch again, but whom
1t had got within a few inches of the limb It
stopped and seemed to do come bordering it.
self, the result of which was, as l interpreted
the movement Of the worm. a decision that 1t
would DO saforssuspended at q 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 7 discovered three big black ants
scurrying down the limb up which the first had
gone. One Of these ants ran out on the branch
the caterpillar was hanging from and the other
two disappeared. The ant that ran out on the
limb stopped at the spot where the caterpillar 8
thread was fastened and remained there, calmly
gazing down at the worm hanging far below.
The two other ants reappeared on the trunk
Of the tree, down which they were hurrying as
fast as they could run. They reached the
ground. great, black. glossy follows, paused a
moment to get their bearings, and then made
their way through the grass and stopped d.
rectly beneath the suspended caterpillar. That
was what the ant up the tree was waiting and
watching for. The two ants below had no
sooner stopped than the ant above proceeded
with It's part Of the programme. 1t reached
over the side of the limb. nipped the caterpil-
lars cable in two. and before the poor worm
knew what had happened 1t had tumbled to the
ground and was Instantly bounced upon by the
two fierce ants lying in wait below. The ant In
the tree lost no time in getting down out of that
tree and Joining its companions. The three
soon despatched the unfortunate worm, and
lugged 1t to their nest in the tree. where they
undoubtedly enjoyed their well-earned meal.
The wisdom Of the ant had been too great for
the Intelligence OF the caterpillar.
One Gay Inc nlreQ man at o tarm up IN P0nn-
sylvania where / 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. fat, hideous,lookins green worms,
horned like q rhinocerous, and nearly three
inches long. AS the worm lay there ono of the
large reddish-brown ants that abound in that
locality came up through a crack in the floor
from somewhere under tho porch. The ant
was nearly half an inch long. There is also a
black ant common up there. 1t is much more
powerfully built than the red one, but not so long.
and between tho two races there 10 deadly en-,
nifty. They have the fercest of pitched battles
with immense armies on each side. Sometimes
victory will perch on the banners of the reds
and somotimeS favorS the arms of the blacks
The victors invariably take the survivors of the
enemy and mako 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 l could see by
its actions that 1t Scentad the big carcass just
Of 4 dog in. the asid that the dog had got ot' the
scent OF a bird. Tho ant ran here and there, to
and ond. fro TO ~, W and DC doT Sa:d St &c! PID every iy yo fey sec sec
moving it about as II to take the wind of itl
game, then resumlng it's hunt, all the while
four minutes before the ant got the direct line
OF the worm, and 1t was then about a foot away,
showed surprise it ,w4s that rcd ant when Il
brought up alonGside tho big carcass. The
ant $1,000 bLOCk sui at least a quarter OF q min
ute, with its head raised. looking up at the
huge proportions Of the find It had made. much
as a man might II he came suddenly upon a
stranded whale. Its first surprise over. the
worm and turned and viewed 1t from a dis
lance. Then II dashed back and around to the
other side Of the worm and inspected it there
passing from Its tail to its head as II pacing
of Its length. Then tho ant climbed upor
the carcass and ran over every part of 1t, even
climbing the big horn and taking a survey OF
the find from the tip OF that, after which il
cemo down TO the floor, struck q bee line fol
the crack 1t had come up through and diBap
peAred In the same opening.
Il had considered the ways Of ants enough
to be certain that this one hadn't gone away
without an Idea In Its head, and before long
found that | had judged it right. In a short
time four big red ants came hurryinR up oul
of the crack In tho floor. Although there was
no difference In the appearance OF the quartet
there was no mistsking the fact that one o
them was the one that discovered the dead
tomato worm, for it came straight toward tht
worm, in the lead of the other three, WheI
tho ants reached tho carcass they looked 1t oyel
critically and then got their heads together
and seemed 10 be holding q computation, Thii
oyidently resulted in an agreement on a piaI
back to the place they had come from. whit