The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-26
Ant crrYs
Blair County Colony in the Woods
Where Game Dare Not Go.

bid fair in a few to rob Blair
county OF its great natural curiosity
the Ant City. located about five miles
south Of Altoona. on the line OF the
Logan Valley Electric Railway.
Centuries ago these big black ants.
or formicidal. as they were technic-
ally called. possessed themselves Of q
section Of Virgin forest at the foot OF
the Brush Mountain and began the
work Of constructing homes and forts.
They raised gigantic mounds of reg
u.ar. conical shape. ranging IN size
from q few inches 10 o and five feet
nigh. and from 20 TO 40 feet in cir
conference, and for years they were
| unmolested.
AT one time. only a comparatively
| few years ago. there We're more n
| 200 of these mounds spread over a
| territory OF some 200 acres: but the
| advent Of the trolley line through the
| very heart of the ant city has had n
tendency TO drive h ants away.
| There We're perhaps less than 500 Or
| these cones dotting the woods now.
but they contain millions Of plucky
| toilers.
Investigation proves that each
| mound is built with engineering skill
| that amounts almost to science. great
| care being exercised TO prevent 2
| cavein. These underground homes
consist of a system OF galleries, regu-
| larry disposed, with a tendency 10 ar
rangement III stohies. and here there
| are chambers TO serve as nurseries
and store DON for food. sometimes
the ants in a thicklv populated cone
purrow to the depth Of eight and ten
feet.
Ofttimes numerous openings lead TO
the surface. and these. the gateways
of the colony. are guarded by sentl-
nels, quick to challenge all corners ana
give the alarm in case of danger. AT
night or in stormy weather the gates
are sometimes carefully closed.
The mounds. are nothing more than
UNDERGROUND Notifications, guarded
with all the care which man gives TO
his fortress. In fact. 1t is a matter OF
common understanding that war. as
an art, had its origin with ants. ana
with some species. notably the ones at
Ant Hills. battles form leading incl
dents of their lives. The soldiers are
two pairs of jaws. they use the strong
er pair to hold their opponents. while
with the other they quietly chew on
the head at the neck.
One of the observation-disclosures
sights is a battle between ants, in
which thousands of the ferocious ut
tie insects are engaged. Being cannl-
bless. they have no hesltancy in eatlns
the heroes slain in war.
Each colony has a queen ant for its
head. If the cone is large there may
be several queens, but they occupy
different apartments. The queens do
not work. They do not even care for
the young. The workers" u~ndeVelop
ed females of several sizes do every
thing.
A queen rarely caves her under
ground home. She is constantly at
| top1o5 nv n hO5y guard Which looks
after her every want. in order that sht
NAV not be disturbed in her egg pro-
ducing lndustr. The eggs are of MI
mute size. At the end of the larVa,
period the grubs pass into the pupaI
stage, sometimes spinning a cocoon
Tn this the development from the lar
val to the mature takes place. the
I workers help the young ants IRON
|, the cocoon. and they leave the nests
about September fer the "swarmlnI
or marriage flights Icing forced &c
do so by the workers
These winged insects form clouds II
the air, Mating takes place in the air
, and the males sink to earth. Wiier'
: hey perish. or are devoured by som
. i~nsectiverous animal. h females
, tear off their wings. n such of then
l as escape destruction burrow into tn
l ground to start new colonies to b.
come queens.
! A regular organization is maintaine'
= bv the ants. So much more is allot
: tel to each of the and u
r ishment, swift and sure, keeps then
! diligently at it. They carry to the out
side of the cones the excavated pellet
of earth. and secure a food supply I
be stored for winters use on the re
+ turn trip. .
y They are fond of eating each other i
u case the food supply runs out. as
sometimes does. Ants cannot eat q sol
n 1 81 var h,rt 1ioE or la n If Inc
resemble human beings by keepln
Q domestic animals called "ant cows.
l. and this is one of the most interestn
a and curious habits of the ant. The III
- sects known as aphides. or plant-pal
~ asites, excrete in considerable abuno
> ance a sweet substance known as nor
Sc ey-dew. of which ants are as fond as
], child is of candy. To induce the plan'
IF parasite to exude it more freely th
n ants strike it with their "feelers.'
process strikingly analogous to that
which the cow is induced TO yield ne
milk through pressure on her uode
Great herds of these ant COWS al
Is. kent in the underground homes al
a fed on leaves. which are gathered
s. the summer time. The ants seize II
il parasites bodily and carry them in
their nests.
to The war-like species of ants are
law lot. and unless they are regular
at fed by the workers" would die
n starvation. They absolutely refuse
y. work. They are the standing arm
as and in peace and in war must be Or
:. vided with food They are comman
as cd by generals appointed by q
at queens. and in battle are ferocious. e
lie. ergetic and fight to the death.
ng Little other animal life abides
o. woods with these ants. The oide
u ~inhabitant can not recall when gan
was to be found in that section a.
at birds ignore the trees. Even toads n
ris | not there and with half a chance |
lat ants can readily torture q lusty sha
n to death. ,
ng ST the present time the GOOD a
almost surrounded by residence; a
tie | the circle of Ant City is being narro
ed ed. These ants fee from humans
te-l from pestilence. nor VIII they. oliI
~ - g. +boir little rod brothers. e