The Southern herald., 1900-11-09
INSECT STRATEGY.
How a Colony Of Ants Disposed si q
Dead Wasp.

Dead Wasp
Some very peculiar things may oe-
casionally be observed in the natural
world if people only have the eyes to
see them. Z. A. Suverkrop gives in
the Scientific American the following
instance Of ant sense which the writer
says came under bis notice several
years ago:
81 had just killed wasp and left
the carcass on the ground, waiting
for enc of my friends the ants to re
move ii. Along came one fellow,
walked all around the waspt body,
making notes evidently Of size, quail
ity Of flesh, etc, and of he went and
brought up a small army Of his broth
ers. OF these some fell to and de-
voured the soft portions Of the body
which would not keep, while others
began to disseet ready for storing the
harder portions which would keep for
winter consumption. The day was
gusty, and my attention was attracted
in particular to one little chap who
was trying tOIget to his ant hill with a
wing he had severed from the body.
He would struggle along two or three
Inches, when a sudden gust Of wind
would blow him and the wing back
further than he had advanced. He
put up with this till he found it hope
less, then carefully laying the wing
down and pihng the largest grains Of
sand he could lift on it so that the
wind would not blow it away, re-
turned to the body Of the wasp and
got three of the ants who had been
feeding while he worked and brought
them back to where the wing was, al
the same time evidently explaining tC
them the difficulty Of carrying such
bulky piece on windy day.
"They all got on the side Of tht
wing where the heavy Strengthening
rib is and. began to roll the wing W
just as one would roll a flag around it
staff. When this roll was finished
three cuts were made through it b,
three pair Of ant mandibles, and th,
four short, easily hauled rolls Of was
wing were successfully carried to tn
ant-hill by four industrious ants.
"a curious instance Of the abflit
Of an insect to successfully measur
distance was evidenced once while
was travelling through northern Al
gentina.
, 81 first made the acquaintance o
, my friend on the back veranda of
; little village tavern. l was lying i
hammock. About two feet from m
( was a three by three-inch handrail O
/ wood, supported by wooden balusterI
! As lay there noticed fly alight o
the top of the wood. While watche
! him, the fly apparently turned into
( spider. l could not believe my eye
S but on closer inspection l saw that
a spider had jumped from somewher
/. and alighted on top Of my fly.
r thought this worth watching, an
i, found that this was his method {
procedure. A fly would alight ON to
!. of the railing, the spider would tax
b in the distance at q glance, and woul
e disappear down the side Of the rail
+ right angles to the position occupie
: by the fly when he last saw it. The
: he would walk nearly to the top of II
# rail and fasten his web, then wal
|, down, paying out his web as he wen
Il til he was as far from the place whel
}. he had fastened his web as was Il
IS fly, then one vigorous leap, the We
It swinging him around in the arc of
d circle, and he would alight on top
,e the fly.
i "I have never seen one miss tn
lie seemingly difficult leap, except wht
e. the fly left his position before II
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