Milford chronicle., 1914-10-02
UGLY DRIVER ANTS
All Living Creatures Fly Before
These African TerroTS.
THEY BUILD LIVING BRIDGES.
When an Army Of These Formidable
and Feroerous Insects Want to Cross
a River a Suspension Tube Of Their
Own Bodies PROVIDES the Way.


s Why should driver ants cross rivers
# The ants OF our own wuOds nave u,
such desire; they are busy little ptup.e
too much engaged ~ the prarucai u~a
J, Of finding aud storing fuud 90 nave any
j. YagarieS Of this surt They are con
; tented and harmless if NOT disturbed
or annoyed Al angry am Is 10 D..
i avoided. and au angry swarm cam
. make its diSplcasure feu 10 a very on
pleasant way. as every one knows wu1
has careleSSly broken into a nest Bu,
if left alone th"y are peaceful mite
workmen. absorbed 90 their own
affairs
The great driver or BIShikOney ant
however. has nothing peaceable IN MS
composition He is nothing It not us
gresSiye aud spiteful; neither is he con.
tented In The great forests OF Africa
these insects multiply to m alarming
extent They swarm in thousands
perhaps millions ana. formidable ar
any tine. during the season OF miSr
ZION they are a terror TO the whole
4 district in which they live.
Myriads of these insects are seized
with a restless desire for change Obey
ing some mysterious instinct or follow
ing the commands OF their queen. they
set Out npun their travels. and woe
betide the man or beast that crosses
their path In moment the hapleS~
creature is covered with ants. ana 90
an Incredibly short space Ut time moth
ing is left but bare bones
The driver ant IS so called because
It drives away all living creatures
When this most terrible most is on the
march men and animals. great and
small. take flight Lions and tigers
may be seen rushing along side By .
side with the timid gazeile All are .
too much frightened 10 dream Of at
lacking or avoiding each other For
once In their lives they are united in
their terror of the common enemy
Size and strength are Of no avail. and
rhinOcernS OF an elephant is as much
terrified and is IN as much danger as
rabbit
When the vast army OF ants arrive
on the bank Of river halt Is call
ed They nave no idea OF turning
hack. but to cross that,river they must
have a bridge, and the making OF this
bridge takes time. and probably the
engineers Of the army have TO hustle
up to the front
10 m n L frnrn - NJ hwfiN ]
OF the most wonderful things IN the
world The ants swarm on a tree
one which overhangs the riv
er Upon the bough which reaches
fartheSt over the stream they mass
themselves and hpgin to form thick
rome of their own bodies This they
do by means of holding on firmly with
their hind legs. while with the front
pair Of legs they grasp the bodies of
other ants Constantly fresh ants
range themselves in front. ana 50 the
rope grows and grows until at last il
touches the waiter
ny and hy the innting chain is car
-ied by the current toward the other
side where probably grass and great
'eedS spring Out Of the water The
oremoSt ants seize upon the irst Oh I
ect they touch. and from one slender
oothold to another they climb until (
II laSt they reach land The nearest
rec is quickly climbed. the foremost {
'airs Of legs doing all the work. and
erv soon the living rope is swinging Q
ligh above the river The bridge Is
made. and quickly the army crosses the s
trpam I
Du Chaillu. in his African travels s
ad an opportunity Of observing one OF
heSr bridges. ind he declares that II
made with hollow center. the
wing bodies Of the ants forming the b
rails OF tunnel. through whirh the I
lain body Of ants travel safely over e.
he water When the last ant has X
rOssed and the bridge is no longer b.
eeded. the ants In the rear release d
leir hold and the rope or tunnel drops p
Ito the river. The ants do not ike d
ater. but they are soon released from b
lis position. for the vanguard are dis Il
ATSing as fast as they can. and the =
~ sacrificing ants who began the
eat chain are quickly upon dry land
1t is all very strange and very won
'rful. Why do they travel at anf 7
Y what direction and by what laws ,
they act. and how did they learn 10 =
axe bridges? Our naturalists have :
armed much of their ways and their =
ings. bur these questions they cannot Il
swer; they are part Of the mystery =
life and nature Of which the wisest
ows little.-J Cutler in London Fam
Herald.