WARRIOR ANTS, AND THEIR EQUIPMENT 



the response. \Yith utter abandon the little creatures 

 hurl themselves upon their assailants. No question 

 seems to arise. Shall we abstain? Shall we retreat? 



" Or shall we on the helmet of our foes 

 Tell our devotion with revengeful arms?" 



No condition of size or character in the adversary has 

 the least influence upon their action. There is no trace 

 of personal fear, no regard for life, no balancing of prob- 

 abilities as to victorv or defeat, but with the most 



\, 



formidable as with the feeblest enemy the ants join 

 eager issue. There is no f melangering." None hangs 

 back waiting for others to take the brunt of battle. 

 In our mound-making ants, cowardice is an unknown 

 vice. I do not recall a clear case of poltroonery. They 

 are as valiant as they are industrious. In many cases 

 the destruction of the defenders is foregone, and the 

 foremost in the column are certain to perish. That may 

 not be understood by them; but were it so, it would not 

 make any difference with these citizen warriors, with 

 whom labor, health, unlimited service life itself are 

 held as the unreserved heritage of the commune. 



There have been times in the history of human com- 

 monwealths when a large portion of the citizenships 

 reached as high a standard of patriotism. At all times 

 there are some who, in the surrender of their substance, 

 their service, themselves, and yet higher sacrifice- 

 their sons to the nation, show like devotion. But history 

 would surely falter if challenged to find among men a 

 case of unanimity in devotion to the commune in time 

 of danger equal to that of the mound-making ants of 

 the Alleghanies. 



A good example of the pugnacity and courage of ants 



195 



