Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1919-04-24
DEADLY ant ARMY
No Creature Can Remain In Path
of Horde and Live.
Naturalist, Himself Not immune From
Danger, Tells Of Incidents He Saw
as he Watched the Progress
OF the Insects.

was doing quietly in my ham
mock. glad TO escape for an instant
the insistent screaming OF cicada
which seemed to have gone mad In the
Jungle heat, when low rustling
caught my cara sound OF moving
leaves without wind the voice Of
breeze i'm the midst Of breathless heat,
writes William Beebe, In the Atlantic
Monthly. There was In il something
sinister and foreboding. | leaned over
the edge OF my hammock, and saw
coming toward me. i'm broad, irregu-
lar front. a great army ~ ants, bat
talon after battalion of them flowing
like "A sea Of living notes over twigs
and leaves and stems.
knew the danger and half sat up.
prepared To roll out and walk To one
side. Then | gagged my supporting
strands tested them until they vibrat-
ed and hummed, and lay back. watch
ing to see what would come about.
knew that no creature in the world
could stay in the path of this horde
and live. To kill an insect or II great
bird would require only few in
stants. and the death of iaguar
or a tapir would mean only few
more. Against this attack claws,
teeth, poison fangs would be idle
weapons
In the van fled cloud of terrified
insects-thOse gifted with flight To
wing their way far Off. while the
humber ones went running headlong,
their legs four. six or a hundred, max
ing the swftest pace vouchsafed them.
There were foolish folk who climbed
up low ferns, achieving the swaying
tOpmost fronds only to be trailed by
the savage ants and brought down to
instant death.
Even the winged ones were not i'm
mune for II they hesitated a second
an ant would seize upon them. and. a.
though carried into the air would not
loosen his grip. bur cling to them. @,
struct their flight. and pc rhaps bring
them TO earth In the heart of the
Jungle, where. cut of from their kind
the single combat would be wagcd T.
the death. From where | watched !
saw massacres innumerable terrible
battles in which some creatures
giant beside an ant-fought for h
life. crushing 10 death scores of the
enemy before giving up.
They were mercleSS army and
their number was countless. with host
upon host following close on each 9TH
er's heels A horde Of warriors found
bird in my game bag. and left OF IL
hardly Il feather. | wondered whether
they would discover me. and they did.
though / think IL was more by accident
than by intention. Nevertheless half
dozen ants appeared on the foot
strands. nervously twiddling their an
femme In my direction. Their APP
praiSsl was brief: with No more than "a
seconds delay they started toward me.
] waited until they were well on their
way. then vigorously twanged the
cords under them harpwise. sending
all the scouts into midair and headlong
down among their fellows So far as
! know. this was a revolutionary
maneuver in military tactics. cOmpar-
able only 10 the explosion of set
mine
brigade had gone on their menacing.
ptiless way, and the danger had
passed 10 a new province | could not
help thinking of the certain. inexOra-
bile fate OF man who. unable TO move
from his hammock or to make any
defense, should be thus exposed TO
their attack. There could be no help
for him in but one Of this great host
should scent him out and carry the
word back to the rank and file.