The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-21
ANTS RESEMBLE MEN
MUCH THAT IS HUMAN ABOUT THssgS
LITTLE INSECTS.

Their Waya OF Playing, sleeping
Eating and W0rkinG-SOme That
Are Above Toll -- DistinctIOns OF
Class In Thcir Burial Places.
There ~ a lot that Is human about
these little auts," writes Harvey Suth
erland In Ainslees. "They like to play
and cut up. They make helieve to fight,
and when they wrestle in fun they roll
all around like schoolboys. They wash
and brush eaclf other and stretch out
MY. that feels goodr 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 like nan taking nap. When
they wake up they cape and stretch
themselves and all but say. Ilo. hum
They always wash themselves and
comb their hair as soon as they get up.
They are like US In keeping pets
about the house. Andre counted ISL spe-
cies of insects, nearly all OF them bee
ties, that are kabltuaily TO be found in
ants nests. They must be there with
their consent. for an interloper 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 ciaviger, which seeretes
honey from tuft at the base Of It's
wings II one of these clavigers is put
into the nest of strange ants they fall
upon 1t and slaughter 1t at once Some
, kinds of wood lice are kept as scaven-
gers, and the sllverfish or brisuetail
and the iarva of the elater beetle are
handy to have around to do the heavy
digging under the supervision OF the
workers. Many OF these domesticated
animals are unable to feed themselves.
Iespes saw some ants eating sugar
lomechasa OF their nest came up and
nuzzled them until they fed 1t. After
ward ii 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 as use
/ less as a pug dog. II another such a
thing In the universe can be imagined.
The little Stenamma westwoodli pranks
about In the hills OF Formica rufa and
| Formica pratensis. 1t runs along with
them. jumps on their backs and takes
ride. and II tor any reason the nest
Is removed 1t goes along.
! Then there is another little ant Ia
these nests that is by no meaus a pet.
| 1t digs its galleries in the partitions so
small that the big ants canIot get In
/ to Kill them. Every once In awhile q
/ Salenopsls fugax darts out, snatches
/ up baby and runs with 1t into its
| den. where 1t eats ii up. 1t Is as II we
/ had cannibal dwarfs lurking In the
walls and now and then carrying OF
| one OF the children to be devoured at
/ horrid banQuets behind the plastering.
But if we begin calling hard namss
we might as well keep 1t up and admit
| first as last that all ants are cannibals
and feed not only ON other kinds OF
ants. but even upor their own species
when they are not OF the same house
hold. They capture and carry off the
eggs. larvR and pupg OF other nests,
and what they do not have FOR dinner
| today they fatten for tomorrow. 1t In
! supposed that in this way they got into
| the habit of keeping slaves. The young
captive ants came out of their cocoons
and. being naturally industrious. they
! hustled about aud gave the babies
! their nlmmy nlmmy when they cried
! for IT, swept the tioor and carried III
the coal until the approving workers
OF the captors began to talk to each
other like this: That fusca Is a handy
little thing about the house. Seems
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, She's 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 butehering day they
went to the fusca and said Fusca.
we've concluded not to kill you for a
spell yet You can stay around aud
do up the work. but mind, II there ara
any complaints about you or the chill
dren are neglected or you give any "
your back talk-weli. therell be fresh
meat for supper Do you understandT
"And the fusca dropped courtesy
and made answer: 'Yaiss. missy. Tank
yo', missy Ah'll do de bes ah kim
It Is almost needless to say that +.
fusca Is a black ant.
"F sanguineas can do their own
work and often do not keep slaves at
all, but they are little thought of In ant
circles. The real nobility and gentry
are Polyergus rufescens aud rolyergus
lucidus. Work? They work No. in-
decd! You don't see them domcaning
themselves building aud miuding chill
dren, collecting food or eyeu feeding
themselves, If you please. When the
nest is changed, they do not set foot to
the ground. They are carried by
slaves They have always been arcus-
70 hov no tnIp a l.,t IN