Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-06-17
DEADLY ANT ARMY
No Creature Can Remain In Path
of Horde and Live.
Naturalist, Himself Not Immune From
Danger, Tells Of Incidents He Saw
a. He Watched tho Progress
Of the Insects.

I 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 a
breeze In the midst of breathless heat,
writes William Beebe, In the Atlantic
Monthly. There was In it something
sinister and foreboding. I leaned over
the edge of my hammock, and saw
coming toward me, In broad, irregu-
lar front, a great army Of ants, bat
talon after battalion Of them flowing
like sea of living notes over twigs
and leaves and stems.
1 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. I
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 few in
stants, and the death of jaguar
or a tapir would mean only few
more. Against this attack, claws,
teeth, poison fangs would be idle
weapons.
In the van fed a 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 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 by
the savage ants and brought down, to
instant death.
Even the winged ones were not i'm
mune, for if they hesitated second,
an ant would seize upon them, and, q.
though carried into the air, would not
loosen his grip, but cling to them, o
struct their flight. and perhaps bring
them to earth In the heart Of the
jungle, where, cut off from their kind,
the single combat would be waged I,
the death. From where I watched, /
saw massacres innumerable; terrible
battles In which some creature-a
giant beside an ant-fought for h
life, crushing to death scores Of the
enemy before giving up.
They were a merciless army and
their number was countless, with host
upon host following close on each 9TH
er's heels. A horde Of warriors found
a bird In my game bag, and left Of 1t
hardly feather. / wondered whether
they would discover me, and they did.
though think it was more by accident
than by intention. Nevertheless half
dozen ants appeared on the foot
strands, nervously twiddling their an
tennae in my direction. Their ap-
praisal was brief; with no more than
seconds delay they started toward me.
I 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 to the explosion of a set
mine.
But even so, when the last Of this |
brigade had gone on their menacing,
pitiless way, and the danger had
passed to 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 If but one of this great host
should scent him out and carry the
word back to the rank and file.