The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-11
ANTS RESEMBLE MEN
MUCH THAT rs HUMAN ABOUT THESE
LITTLE INSECTS.
Their Ways OF Playing, sleeping
Eating and worklnE-S0me That
Are Above Toll - Distinctions or
Class In PhNlr Burial Places.

AE@ W. hAy AMtat
Eating and workinE-SOme That
are Above Toll -- Distinctions OF
Class In Pheir Burial places.
There IL a lot that Is human about
these little ants" writes Harvey Suth
erlaud in Ainslee'S. They like TO play
and cut up. They make ScleYc to fight
and when they wrestle in fun they roll
all around like schoolboys. They wash
and brush each other and stretch out
under the process as much rs to say
My, that feels good. 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 uan taking 4 nap, When
they wake up, they cape and stretch
themselves and all but say. 'IIo. hum
They always wash themselves aud
comb their hair as soon as they get up,
They are like us in keeping pets
aboutthc house. Andre counted 5s spe-
cies Of insects. nearly all Of them bee
ties. that are kabitually to be found in
ants nests. They must be there with
their consent. FOR an lnterloper 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 claviger. which sccrctcs
honey from tuft at the base Of its
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 silverfsh or brjstletaiI
and the larva OF the elater beetle are
handy TO have around TO do the heavy
digging under the supervision or the
workers. SIany of these domesticated
animals are unable TO feed themselves.
Lespes saw some ants eating sugar \
lomecuusa OF tneir nest came up and
uuzzled them until they fed II. After
ward II climbed up on the lump or sug-
ar. but did not seem to know how to
get the good OF II for itself. But also
there are pets about which are as use
less "a a pug dog. II another such a
thing In the universe can be magIned
The little Stcnamma westwoodii pranks
about In the hiilS OF Formica rufa aud
Formica prateusls. 1t runs along with
them. jumps on their backs and takes
ride. aud II TOR any reason the nest
Is removed 1t goes along.
s~IFbAp t,.aP III Ia ii
these nests that Is by no means pet
1t digs its galleries iu the partitions No
small that the biz ants canhot get Ia
to XIII them. Every once In awhile a
Saleuopsis fugax darts out. >natt hes
up a baby and runs With il into its
den, where 1t eats II up 1t is a. if We
had cannibal dwarfs lurking In the
walls and now and then carrying off
one of the children TO be deyoured al
horrid banquets behind the plastering
But IL we begin calling hard nam IS
we might as well keep IL mp aud admit
first as last that all ants are cannbai.
and feed not only on other kinds OF
ants. bur even upor their own species
when they are not OF the same house
hold, They capture and carry or tie
eggs. larva aud pupp OF other nests
and what they do not have tor dinner
today they fatten for tomorrow. 1t Is
/ supposed that in this way they got into
I the habit OF keeping slaves. The young
/ captive ants came out OF their cocOons
and. being naturally industrious. they
! hustled about and gave the babics
! their uimmy nlmmy when they CrleC
for it. swept the floor and carried ii
the coal until the approving workers
Of the captors began to talk to cacl
other like this: That fusca Is a handy
little thing about the house. Seems s
kind Of pity TO kill her when we've got
30 much fresh meat on hand and right
in the busy season. when help Is hare
to get. She's SO good to the children
too. Let's keep her awhile. What dc
you say" And then when 1t was de
cded TO put off butchcring day they
went to the fusca and said: 'Fusra
we've concluded not to kill you for Il
spell yet. You can stay around and
do UP the work, but mind. il there ara
any complaints about you or the chil
dren are neglected or you give any ot
your back talk well there'll be fresh
ps&at for supper. 10 you understand
And the fusca dropped courtesy
and made ans wcr: 'Yalss. missy. Tank
go. missy. Al'Il do de bes' all Kin
1t Is almost needless to say that f.
fusca is a black ant =g
"F. sanguincas can do their own
work and often do not keep slave NJ
all, but they are little thought Of in ant
circles. The real nobility and s"ntfy
/ are Polyergus rufescens and Polyrrgus
/ lucidns. Work? They work? NO H.
T deed, You don't see them demcaning
themselves building and minding ch.l-
dren. collecting food or even feeding
themselves. if you please. When the
nest is changed, they do not set foot 10
the ground. they are carried hy
SIaypS 'ThpV huya a nIu.ovS bnpt, .,,,,.,,,