The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-05

The art of war is understood and
practiced by only one kind Of animals
besides a Those animals are ants.
Ants are adopts in military science.
They know the whole business, from a
guerrilla movement to the siege of
a fortified city. Not all ants are a
like, it is true, but many species are
extremely so, and Of these the best
example is furnished by the Ecitons.
The Ecitons may be called exclusively
military, inasmuch as they have no
permanent homes, but spend nearly
all their time in warlike expeditions.
Some species are found in Texas
and elsewhere in the United States, but
they are most numerous in Brazil. Their
rmies often nmber millions, and NOV
in serried columns. Nothing living can
successfully oppose them, and the larg-
est, fiercest creatures OF the tropical
forests fly before them to escape being
devoured. Wherever they move the
whole animal world is set in commo-
ton and put to p~recipitate rout. The
main body of the army Of Ecitons, as
it moves forward in steady, disciplined
march, is made up of the weaker ants,
so .caIled, though they are fighters as
well as toilers. For every 1000 workers
there are perhaps fifty soldier" ants,
which are the same breed, but specially
built for fighting purposes, having enor-
nous neds aid powerful jaws.
These soldiers v carry anything,
or attend any other business apparent
ly, but trOt along on the TANKS of the
column, being distributed at regular in
tervals like subaltern officers. Their
shining white heads max them very
conspicuous, bobbling up n down as
the regiments pass over inequalities in
the road.
An army Of Ecitons, as it moves for
ward, clears the ground of all animal
matter, dead or alive. Every living
creature that can get out of the way
does so. 1t is especially the various
tribes of wingless insects that have
cause to fear, such as maggOts, cater
pliers. etc. If a man making his way
through the tropical forest happens t.
encounter a marching column of these
ants he is instantly attacked.
Numbers of the ferocious insects
swarm up his legs. n wherever they
find a bare spot they attack it, each
n driving it's pincer-like jaws into the
skin, and singing with it's tail with
all it's might. The Eciton stings like q
bee, being strictly business at both
ends. There is nothing for the man to
do but to run for it, and when he gets to
a place of safety he proceeds to pluck
off insects one by one.
DR.. H. w. Bates, in his work entitled
"A Naturalist on the River Amazon"
describes an attack of a column Of
,Ecitons upon a fortress. e., a great
mound shaped communal dwelling Of
another species Of ants. The army be-
its assault upon the works in q
most systematic manner excavating a
series of mines.
Operations were SO thoroughly organ-
lied that some of the assailants did the
digging, while others carried away the
grains of earth, and others yet brought
out the larvae Of young ants which
were found in the chambers Of the
structure besieged. As fast as the
larvae were brought out they were
torn to pices, their weight being too
heavy for a single Eciton to e
hi Ecitons are very small ants,
though in some species the big-headed