Year: 1869

A naturalist of a lively Imagination
describes battle between two races OF
ants:


One day when went out to my wood
pile, or rather my pile of stumps, l OBJ
served two ants, the one red, the 9TH
er much larger, nearly half an inch
long, and black, contending with one
another. Having once got hold, they
never let 90, but struggled, and wres-
tied, and rolled on the chips incessantly.
Looking further, was surprised to find
that the chips were covered with such
combatants-that it was not duel but
a battle, a war between two races of ants
the red always pitted against the black,
and frequently two rel ones to one
black. watched two that were locked
in each others embraces, in a little sun
ny valley amid the chips, now, at noon
day, prepared to fight till the sun went
down or life went out. The smaller
red champion had fastened himself lik e
a vice to his adversary's front, and
through all the tumhiing on that held
never for an instant ceased to gnaW at
one of his feelers, near the root having
already caused the other to go 10y the
board; while :the stronger black one
dashed him from side to side.


In the meantime there came along n
single red ant on his hillside of the val
lev, evidently full of excitement, who
either had despatched his foe or had not
vet taken part in the battle-prObably
the latter, for he had not yet lost any of
his limbs-whose mother had charged
him to return with his shield or upon 1t.
Or perchance he was some Achilles,
who had nn,,rished his wrath apart, and
had now come to avenge or rescue his
Patroclus. Watching the opportunity.
he sprang upon the black warrior, and
commenced his operations near the root
of the right foreleg, leaving the foe to
select among his own members; and
so there were three united for life, as ii
a new kind of attraction had been in
vented which put all other locks and
cements to shame. l should not have
wondered by this time to find that they
had each their respective musical bands
stationed on some eminent chip, and
playing their national airs the while, to
excite the slow and cure the dying COM
batants. l was myself excited some
what, even as if they had been men. |
took up the chip on which the three
have particularly described were strug-
ling, carried it to my house and placed
it under a tumbler on my window Sill,
in order to see the issue. Holding Il
microscope to the first mentioned red
ant, | saw that, though he was assidu-
ously gnawing at the near fore leg of
his enemy, his own breast was all torn
away, exposing what vitals he had
there to the jaw of the black warrior,
whose breastplate was apparently too
thick for him to pierce; and the dark
carbuncles of the sufferers eyes shone
with ferocity such as war alone could
excite


They struggled half an hour longer
under the tumbler; when looked again
the black soldier had severed the heads
of his foes from their bodies, and the
still! living heads We're hanging on either
side of him CHASTITY trophies at his sad
die bow, still apparently as firmly fast
ened as ever, aud he was endeavoring
with feeble struggles, being without
feelers and with only a remnant OF Il
leg, and I know not how many other
wounds, to divest himself of them;-
which, at length, after half an hour he
ACCOMPLISHED. l raised the glass, and
he went over the window sill in that
crippled state. Whether he finally sur
vived that combat and spent the re-
mainder Of his days in some Hotel des
Invalides, I do not know, but thought
that his industry would not be wort h
much thereafter.


never learned which party was vic
torious, nor the cause of the war; but
felt for the rest of that day as If / had
my feeling excited and narrowed by
witnessing the struggle ferocity and car
mage of q human battle before my
door.