The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-03-14

The Fighting Doodle.

Hysttsville. Nd, March 12.-In-
terest in q little known American
sport-the doodle bug duel-has
been aroused recently by ? Mary
land doodle bug. fancier. William
H. Anglin. ! Mr.. Anglin plans to
raise and train some Of these bugs
and stage duels in the near future.
At his home near here. Mr.. An
glin explained to US his idea for
making doodle bug fighting = ma
tional sport.
I'VE are on the way to q great
reform OF amusements," he explain
ed. Cock fighting was long ago
prohibited Fighting between hu-
man beings will undoubtedly soon
fall under the ban Of things too
elemental for so sophisticated a
people as We have become. But IN
the doodle bug, also known as the
mum-mun bug, the ant lion. and
the myrmeleon. We have an ideal
means OF sport that is interesting
and yet perhaps not sufficiently
spectacular to attract the reform
machinery.
"A doodle bug prize fighter Is
easily cared for. All the bug wants
is some dry sand to live in. He
can go without eating for as long
as six months at . time. though be
prefers to eat oftener. He requires
little training. He does most OF
his fighting by instinct, and he al
ways fights to kill"
How about the Society for the
Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals -
We inquired.
We'll, you see" explained Mr..
Anglin, the doodle fights anyway.
It's his one social occupation. Any
time he meets another doodle any.
where. one Of those bugs IL doom
ed. But they enjoy fighting. It's
the only excitement they get. aside
from sitting in a sand hole waiting
for An ant to fall in for dinner.
Besides" he clinched the argu-
ment with telling effect. IF doodle
bug combats supplart the human
prize ring, think of the enec, on
human beauty. Think OF q coun-
Try without broken noses and caul-
flower ears. People must have
amusement and the doodle bug duel
is logical. restful, 100 per cen,
American sport"
The enthusiasm OF the MARYLAND
sportsman inspired in us an in
tense interest in this remarkable
American bug. Consequently We
have spent an entire afternoon in
Maryland studying specimens o!
the doodle and an encyclopedia &C.
eording to the best scientific meth
| DDS. The conclusions We lay forth
here for your information on this
important subject.
The doodle bug lives in the
southern states in dry. sandy
places. The winged insect which
the doodle becomes Gust like the
caterpillar and the butterfly lays
her eggs in the sand.
As soon as he matches out into
bug the young doodle starts in
stinctively on his life work. Walk.
ing backward. as all his ancestors
! did. he makes circle in the sand
Still walking backward-we have
never seen doodle walk otherwise
he begins TO paw up little scoops
OF sand onto his nat head and throw
them outside the circle with a jerk
The energetic young thing con-
tinues TO go round and round in
smaller and deeper circles until he
has made cone-shaped pit. In
, the bottom Of the cone he conceal.
himself. only allowing his two man,
dibles to stick out of the sand
These mandibles are sharp. sickle.
shaped jaws. When an ant o.
some other wingless insect wan.
ders on the edge OF the crater. tne
sand begins to slip and the victim
slides down to the jaws which
squeeze it dry and toss the remain.
outside
The doodle bug. as you car see
is a cannibal by nature. He. Of al
creatures, is a being who sits b.
himself. Any bug. even . doodle
who comes within his range eithel
has to kill or be killed. The doodl,
will slay his sister or q third cou
sin just IS readily as he woult
make way with an utter stranger
His method Of fighting has neve
been systematically studied BY /;
competent expert in bugs and Eight
ers. From our short observation
the tactics are as follows: The tw'
doodle bugs elinch and then con
tinue to clinch until one OF tn,
other gets tired and curls up. afte
which there is funeral. The who'll
basic idea OF the doodle bug fight
ing system is to seize the enem,
in a vital spot, on the hip. or tn,
heel, or vhereve: il may be in tn,
doodle bug anatomy.
The excitement consists In see