Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-04-01
A TERROR OF THE JUNGLES.
Famous Naturalist Tells of Experience
With Army Ants.


AS that active naturalist and avia-
tor, Mr.. William Beebe, has recently
sailed on another visit to his beloved
jungles in Guiana, we may expect new
pictures of tropical life like those that
delighted the readers of his latest book,
jungle Peace" (Henry Holt & Coz.
In this book Mr.. Beebe tells Of that
strange bird, the hoatzin, a relic of
pre- Glacial days, that in its pin-feath-
- stage climbs the strees Of the moist
region that it inhabits, and, when hard
pressed, escapes by taking a strange
dive into the water below. Hardly OF
less interest is the following descrip-
ton of marching army Of mats:
I was doing quietly in my ham
mock, glad to escape for an instant
the insistent screaming Of a cicada,
which seemed to have gone mad in the
Jungle heat, when q low rustling
aught my cara sound of moving
leaves without the wind; the voice OF
a breeze in the midst Of breathless
heat. There was in it something sim
ister 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, batta-
lion after battalion of them flowing
like a 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 1 gagged my supporting
strands; tested them until they VI
brated ard hummed, and lay back,
watching to see what would come
about. 1 knew that no creature In the
world could stay in the path or TINS
horde and live. To kill an insect or
great bird would require only a few
instants, 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 hum
bier ones went running headlong, their
legs, four, six, or hundred, making
the swiftest pace vouchsafed them.
There were foolish folk who climbed
up low ferns, achieving the sWaylne
topmost fronds only to be trailed by
the savage ants and brought down 70
instant death.
Even the winged ones were not I'M
mune, for if they hesitated secona'
an ant would seize upon them, and'
although carried into the air, would
not loosen his grip but cling to them
obstruct their fight, and perhaps bring
them to earth in the heart of the jun
gle where, cut off from their kind, the
single combat would be waged to the
death. From where l watched, l saw
massacres innumerable; terrible bat
ties in which some creature-a giant
besides an ant-fought for his life'
crushing to death scores OF the enemy
before giving up.
They were a merciless army and
tbeir number was countless, with host
upon host following close on each otn-
er,s heels. A horde Of warriors found
a bird in my game bag, and left OF IL
hardly a feather. l wondered whether
thew would discover me, and they did,
though 7 think it was more by accl-
dent than by intention. Nevertheless
q half dozen ants appeared on the
foot strands, nervously twiddling their
antennae in my direction. Their ap-
praisal was brief; with no more thall
seconds delay they started to"aru
me, I waited until they were well on
their way. then vigorously twanged all
the cords under them harpWlse, SEND
all the scouts into midair and headlong
down among their fellows. So far as
I knew, this was a revolutionary man
euver in military tactics, comparable
only to the explosion of a set NINE
But even so, when the last prl'P
had gone on their menacing, pltiiess
wav and the danger had passed to
new province, could not help think
ing of the certain inexorable tate OF
man who, unable to move from MS
hammock or to make any defense'
should be exposed to their attack.
III Il