Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-03-12
The Fighting Doodle
Ry Frederic J IIsskin

IIyattslille. Md March Interest
i'll little known American sport the
doodle bug duel has been aroused re
Gently by a Maryland doodle bug fan
cior William II Anglin Mr. Anslin
plans to raise and train some OF these
bugs and stage duels in the near future.
At hts home near here. Mr. AnElin
explained 70 us his idea for making
doodle bug lighting a national sport
we are on the WAY toward a great
reform Of amusements he explained.
Cock lighting was long ago prohibited.
Fighting between human beings will
undoubtedly soon fail under the ban Of
things too elemental for $40 sophisticated
a people as we have become. But in
the doodle bug also known as the mum
mum bug. the ant lion and the myr
meleon. we have an ideal means ~
sport that is interesting and vet pre-
haps 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 10 live in. He can 60 without
eating for as long SIX months az a
time. though he prefers 10 eat ofrener
He requires little training. He does
most Of his lighting BY instinct and he
always fights 70 kill
How about the Society for the Pre-
vention OF Cruelty to Animals we
inquired.
Wen. YOU see. (. explained Mr.. Anstin
the doodle lights anyway It's his one
social occupation Any time he meets
another doodle anywhere, one Of those
hugs IS doomed But they enjoy tight
ING Its the only excitement they gst
aside from sitting T. q sand hole wait
ns FOR an ant to fall in for dinner
Besides" he clinched the argument
with telling effect. If doodle bug com
bats supplant the human prize ring,
mink of the effect on human beauty
Think OF a country without broken
noses and ca ulifiower ears, People must
haze amusement and the doodle bug
duel is a logical. resfuL ZOE per cent
American sport"
The enthusiasm Of che Maryland
sportsman inspired In as an intense in
terest in this remarkable American bug
Consequently we have spent an entire
afternoon in Maryland studying sDeci-
mems on the doodle and an eilcyclo-
pedia according 70 the oest sclentliie
methods The conclusions we !ay forth
here for your information on tnls i'm
portant subject
The doodle bug lives In the southern
ates in dry sandy places. The wing
ii insect which the doodle becomes
last ike the caterpillar and the put
lerfiy) lays her eggs II the sand
Az soon as she matches out into bug
| he Young doodle starts insincuvely OF
/ nIs lire work Walking backward as
/ aU his ancestors did he makes q circle
81, h.4r RI
/ and We have never seen a doodle walk
t otherw1se-he begins 10 paw up little
/ SCOOPS of sand onto his fiat head and
throw them outside the circle with q
jerk.
| The energetic young thing continues
| 10 go round and round III smaller ano
| da.D4r circles until he has made cone
| shaped pit IN the bottom Of the con,
he couceaIs himself only allowing his
| rvo rnaudibles TO stick out Of the sand
/ These. mandlbles are sharp, sickle
shaued iaws When an ant or some
other wingless insect wanders on the
| edge of the crater the sand begins e
/ Sin and the victim slides down TO tht
/ ia,ys which squeeze il dry and toss tn,
/ remains outside.
The doodle bug. as you can see. is >
/ rannibal by nature. He. OF all creatures
/ 4 = being who sits by himself. Ann
ing even a doodle, who comes within
his range either has TO Kill or be killed
/ The doodle will slay his sister. or a thirc
/ cousin lust az readily ss he woulc
| make yyay with an utter stranger.
/ His method Of fighting has never beeI
| svsterna ticaIIy studied by a competent
| expert in bugs and fighters. From oui
/ short observation the tactics are as fol
| lows. The TWO doodle bugs clinch and
| then continue TO clinch until one on the
other gets tired and curis up. after
| which there is funeral. The whole
| In stc idea of the doodle bug f1ghting
| system is TO seize the enemy in vita
| SPOT. on the hip or the heel, or wherever
| il may be in the doodle bug anatomy.
The excitement consists In seeing
| them 20 at each other backwards, theT
| in watching their antics and the ex-
! pressions on their faces during the
| duel. How much enjoyment one car
| gain from watching the expressions
OF the fighting doodles depends part
| 1--WE would not say largeiy-on ones
| imagination and a good nlagnnyine
| alass With these accessories IL
/ easily possible to follow combat with
/ the same emotions, slightly diluted, thai
one would feel at Madison Sauars
| ring battle.
| on first seeing each other the two
| bugs ordinarily express surprise. But
| soon the wonder at locating another
| nf their kind changes to anger, pos
| sibny. We believe, merely assumed fol