The evening times., 1898-07-02
WARFARE AMONG ANTS.
The Only Creatures Besides Man
That Fight Scientifically
(From the Boston Trap.crip,.)

That Fight Scientifically.
Orom the Boston Transcrip,.)
The art of war is understood and prac-
ticed by only one kind of animals be-
sides man. Those animals are ants.
Ants are adopts in military science.
They know the whole business. from a
guerrilla movement 10 the siege of for
titled city. Not all ants are warlike, ii
is true. but many species are extremely
SO, and of these the best example is fur
uished by the Ecitons.
The Ecitons may be called exclusively
military, inasmuch as they have no per-
manent homes, but spend nearly all their
time in warlike expeditions. Some species
of them are found in Texas and elsewhere
in the United States. but they are most
numerous in Brazil. Their armies often
number millions. and move In serried col
umns. Nothing living can successfully
oppose them, and the largest and fiercest
creatures of the tropical forests fly be-
fore them TO escape being devoured.
Wherever they move the whole animal
world is set in commotion and put to pre-
cipitate rout.
The main body of the army of Ecitons
march is made up of the worker ants, So
called, though they are fighters as well
as toilers. For every one thousand work
ers there are perhaps fifty soldier ants,
which are ofthe same breed, but speci-
ally built for fighting purposes, having
enormous heads and powerful jaws These
solriers never carry anything or attend to
any other business apparently. but trot
along on the fianks OF the column, being
distributed at regular intervals like sub
altern officers. Their shining white heads
make them very conspicuous, bobbing up
and down as the regiments pass over in
equalities in the road.
There are ten known species of these
ants in Brazil. One of these, called sug-
gestively Predator, prefers the phalanN
formation one of its phalanXes on the
march over clear and smooth ground
occupies a space of from four to six
square yards. the insects being densely
massed. While an army of Ecitons ad-
vances in compact order. skirmishers are
thrown out, and here and there small
column leaves the main body TO forage.
If some very rich place he found some
where near the line of march-for exam
pie, a mass of rotten wood abounding in
insect gTubs-a halt is ordered, and a
strong force is concentrated upon ii. The
ants search every Granny, and tear in
pieces all the large grubs they drag to
light.
An army of Ectons as it moves forward
clears the ground of all animal matter.
dead or alive. Every living creature that
can get out of the way does SO. 1t is es-
pecially the various tribes of wingless in
sects that have cause to fear, such as
other kinds of ants, heavy-bodied spiders,
maggots. caterpillars, etc. If a man max
ing his way through the tropical forest
happens to encounter marching column
of these ants he is instantly attacked.
Numbers of the ferocious insects swarm
up his legs, and wherever they find a
bare spot they attack it, each one driving
its pinceriike jaws into the skin. and
stinging with its tail with all its might.
The Ecfton stings like bee. being strict
ly business at both ends There is
nothing for the man to do but run for it.
and when he gets to a place of safety
he proceeds to pluck of the insects one
by one. usally in the operation they are
pulled in twain, leaving their heads and
Jaws sticking in the wounds. These mil
itary ants never let go when once they
have grabbed anything.
Fighting ants will suffer themselves to
he cut to pieces rather than let go when
they have once seized an enemy. In Bra
I'll there is a. kind of ant that captures
and enslaves ants of other species. This
is a formidable insect indeed. its method
of combat being to grasp the head of Il
foe in its jaws and to kill by piercing the
brain, thus paralyzing the nervous sys-
TEN. Owing to the efficiency of these tao
tics, comparatively small force of the
slave-making ants will feariessly attack
much larger armies. suffering scarcely
any loss themselves.
Tn tropical countries ants are extremely
numerous and wars are constantly in
progress. These military insects have
kingdoms which can boast, populations as
numerous as any of the nations of men.
In the Alleghanies Dr. MaeCook found l.
600 huge nests of forest ants together,
constituting a single empire Such 4
kingdom probably has from 200. 900 900 to
400. co., 600 Inhabitants, all forming one
community and living together in active
and friendly intercourse, while they are
on hostile terms with all other nations of |
ants. even those of the same species 1t
is known that there are at least two thou
sand species of ants in the world. The |
ferocity exhibited by ants in fighting is
extreme, the ground after. a. battle being |
strewn with decapitated bodies, heads |
and mangled limbs of the slain. The in |
sects fight two-and-two in the fashion of |
the duello. All the evidences are appar-
ent of the action of malignant passions |
hate, anger. cruelty and destructiveness.