The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1901-12-06
ANTS RESEMBLE MEN
MUCH THAT is HUMAN ABOUT THESE
LITTLE INSECTS.

Their ways of Playing, sIeeplnR'
Eating and wOrkInE-some That
Are Above Toll : Distinctions OF
Class In Their Burial Places.
"Thcre is a lot that is human about
these little ants" writes Harvey Suth-
erland In Ainslee's. "They like to play
and cut up. They make believe to fight,
ma when they wrestle In fun they roll
MI around like schoolboys. They wash
and brush each other and stretch out
under the process as much as 10 say,
NY, That feels goodF When they sleep.
they often lie on their sides and some
times squat down on their abdomen
and the last pair OF legs for all the
world ike man taking nap. When
they wake up. they cape and stretch
themselves and all but say. 'uo. hum.
They always wash themselves and
comb their hair as soon as they get up.
They are like us in keeping pets
about tile house. Andre 5s4 spe-
cles OF insects, nenrly all Of them bee
ties, that are labitually TO be found in
ants nests. They must be there with
their consent, for mn intcrlOper Is in
stantly killed. Some OF them are milk
cattle. like the aphides, such as cater
pillars that give sirup and the little
blind beetle clavigcr, which secretes
honey from turf ut the base Of It's
wings. If one OF these clayIgcrs is put
into the nest of strange ants they fall
upon 1t and slaughter 1t at once. Some
kinds OF wood lice are kept us scnven-
gers, and the sllvertish or brlstletail
aud the larva Of the elater beetle are
handy to hnvc around to do the heavy
digging under the supervision Of the
workers. Many of these domestlcated
animals are unable TO feed themselves.
Lespes saw some ants eating sugnr.
/ lomechusa OF their nest came up and
nuzZled them until they fed it. After
ward 1t climbed up on the lump Of sug-
ar, but did not seem to know how TO
get the good of 1t for itself. But also
there are pets about which are us use
less as pug dog. IL another such
thing in the universe can be imagined.
The little Stennmmn westwoodii prnnks
about in the hills of Formica rufa and
Formica pratensIs. 1t runs along with
them, jumps on their backs and takes
ride. and II for any reason the nest
is removed it goes along.
Then there Is another little mt III
these nests that Is by no means a pet.
II digs Its galleries in the partitions SO
small that the big ants cannot get In
to Kill them. Every once in awhile
Salcnopsls fugax darts out, snatches
up n baby and runs with 1t into Its
den, where it eats 1t up. 1t is MS II we
had Cannibal dwarfs lurking in the
walls and now and then carrying on
one Of the children to be devoured Mt
horrld banQuets behind the plasterlng
but II we begin calling hard names
we might as well keep it up and admit
first rs last that all ants are cannibalS
and feed not only on other kinds OF
ants, but even upon their own species
when they are not of the same house
hold. They capture and carry OF the
eggs Larvae and pupE of other nests,
and what they do not have FOR dinner
today they fatten for tomorrow. 1t is
| SlDIlbStNl lllill III lLlS way AAl's So 'AAA'
the nabit of keeping slaves. The young
captive ants came out of their cocoons
and, being naturally Industrious, they
hustled about and gave the babies
their nImmy nimmy when they cried
} for it. swept the floor and carried in
the coal until the approving workers
of the captors began to talk to each
other like this: That fnSca is a handy
little thing about the house. Seems Il
kind OF pity to kill her when we've got
so much fresh meat on hand and right
in the busy season. when help is hard
to get. Shes so good to the children
too. Let's keep her awhile. What do
you say| And then when it was de
cided to put of butchering day they
went to the fusca and said: 'FuSca.
we've concluded not to kill Won for
spell yet. You can stay around and
do up the work, but mind. If there mr."
any complaints about YOU or the chit
drcn are neglected or you give any OF
your back talk-wcll, there'l b" fresh
meat for supper. DO you understand:
"Aud the fusca dropped courtesy
and made answer: 'Yalss, missy. Tanl'
yo'. missy Anil do de bes' all KIM
1t is almost needless to say that +.
fuSca is black ant.
az. saugulneas can do their own
work and often do not keep slaves ut
all. but they are little thought of in ant
circles. The real nobility and gentry
are Polycr.rs ufcsccns and Polyergus
luct.us. Work? They work? No In
deed! You don't see them dcmcnntng
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