The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1919-08-14
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.

I was doing quietly in my ham.
mock. glad 10 escape for an instant
the insistent screaming of q cicada
which seemed to have gone mad in the
Jungle heat, when a low rustllne
caught my cara, sound OF moyins
leaves without wind; the voice OF d
breeze in the midst Of GREATNESS heat,
writes William Beebe, in the Atlantic
Monthly. There was in it something
sinister and foreboding. | leaned over
the edge Of my hammock, and saw
coming toward Dle, in q broad, irregu.
lar front, a great army OF ants, bat
talon after battalion of them flowing
like a sea of living notes over twig'
and leaves and stems
| knew the danger and / half sat up.
prepared to roll out and walk to one
side. Then I 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 a great
bird would require only a few in
\ stants, and the death of a jaguar
or a tapir would mean only a few
more. Against this attack, claws,
teeth, poison fangs would be idle
weapons.
In the van fled cloud of terrified
nil r.
wing their way far off, while the
humber ones went running headlong
their legs, four, six or a hundred, max
ing the swiftest pace vouchsafed them
There were foolish folk who climbed
up low ferns, achieving the swaying
topmost fronds only to be trailed bs
the savage ants and brought down tt
instant DEATH.
Even the winged ones were not i'm
mune, for if they hesitated a second.
an ant would seize upon them, and, a
I, though carried into the air, would not
loosen his grip, but cling to them, 0
struct their flight, and perhaps brini
them to earth in the heart Of thu
jungle, where, cut off from their kind
the single combat would be waged t
the death. From where l watched,
saw massacres innumerable; terrible
battles in which some creature
giant beside an ant-fought for h
life, crushing to death scores Of the
enemy before giving up.
They were a merciless army an6
their number was countless, with hosi
upon host following close on each 9th.
er's heels. A horde of warriors found
a bird in my game bag, and left of il
hardly feather. wondered whether
they would discover me, and they Gid
though think it was e-by accident
than by intention. Nevertheless a hall
dozen ants appeared on the foot
strands, nervously twiddling their an
tennae in my direction. Their ap
praisal was brief; with no more than Q
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
I know, this was revolutionary
maneuver in military tactics, compar
able only to the explosion of sci
mine
But even so, when the last Of this
brigade had gone on their menacing
pitiless way, and the danger hat
passed to a new province, could moi
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 *
their attack. There could be no hell
for him if but one Of this great hos
should scent him out and carry ths
word back to the rank and file.