HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Jan. 1, 1S6S. 



day, however, they call 'off the workers, and rest till 

 about sunrise. In more favourable weather, when 

 they cau operate all day, they do not work late at 

 night. 



In regard to courage, there can be no mistake in 

 stating that, when the interests of the nation are 

 involved, this ant exhibits no signs of fear or dread 

 of any consequences that may result to self while 

 engaged in the discharge of its duties. 



The police or national guards of a community 

 which has been established three or four years 

 number in the aggregate, of the parties on duty, 

 from one to two hundred. These are seen all the 

 time, in suitable weather, unceasingly promenading 

 the environs of the city. If an observer takes his 

 stand near the edge of the pavement, he will dis- 

 cover an instantaneous movement in the entire 

 police corps, coming wavelike towards him. If 

 the observer imprudently keeps his position, he will 

 soon see numbers of them at his feet, and without the 

 slightest degree of precaution, or the least hesitation, 

 they climb up his boots, on his clothes, aud as soon 

 as they come to anything that they can bite or 

 sting, whether it be boot, or cloth, or skin, they go 

 right to work biting aud stinging ; and very often, 

 if they get good hold on any soft texture, they will 

 suffer themselves to be torn to pieces before they 

 will relinquish it. If they succeed in getting to the 

 bare skin, they inflict a painful wound, the irritation, 

 swelling, and soreness of which will not subside in 

 twenty-four hours. 



If any worm or small bug shall attempt to travel 

 across their pavement, it is immediately arrested, 

 and soon covered with the fearless warriors, who in 

 a short time deprive it of life. Woe unto any luck- 

 less wight of a tumble-bug who may attempt to roll 

 his spherical treasure upon that sacred and for- 

 bidden pavement ! As soon as the dark, execrable 

 globe of unholy material is discovered by the police 

 to be rolling on, aud contaminating the interdicted 

 grounds, they rush with one accord upon the vile 

 intruder, and instantly seizing him by every leg and 

 foot, despatch him in a short time. Sometimes the | 

 tumble-bug takes the alarm at the start, while only 

 two or three of the ants have hold on it, expands its 

 wings and Hies off with them hanging to its legs. 

 If it fails to make this early effort, it very soon falls 

 a victim to the exasperated soldiery. The ball of 

 filth is left on the pavement, sometimes in the very 

 entrance to the city. In due time the workers take 

 possession of it, cut it into fragments, and pack it off 

 beyond the limits of the incorporated grounds. 



I have not observed that anything preys to any 

 considerable extent upon this species of ant. 

 Chickens and mocking-birds will sometimes pick up 

 a few of them, but not often. If anything else in 

 Texas eats them, I have not noticed it. Neither 

 have I observed their nests bored into or dug up 

 in middle Texas. 



The agricultural ant is of but little disadvantage 

 to the farmer, however numerous, as it is never seen 

 six inches from the ground, 'nor does it cut or 

 trouble any growing vegetable outside of its pave- 

 ment, except the seeds of the noxious weeds and 

 grasses. Sometimes it is found stealing corn meal, 

 broom-corn seeds, &c. ; but it is only when it finds 

 them on the ground that it steals even these. 



Children occasionally get on their pavement, and 

 are badly stung. A few of these pavement lessons, 

 however, generally obviate that inconvenience. 

 The pain of their poison is more lasting, will swell 

 and feel harder, than that of the honey bee. If 

 they insert their stings on the feet or ankles of the 

 child, the irritation will ascend to the glands of the 

 inguinal region, producing tumours of a character 

 quite painful, often exciting considerable fever in 

 the general system ; the irritation will last a day or 

 two, but I have seen no permanent injury arising 

 from it. 



During protracted spells of dry weather, they are 

 frequently found in great numbers in our wells. 

 They seem to have gone there in pursuit of water, 

 and not being able to get back, to make the best of 

 a bad condition. In this unforeseen dilemma, they 

 will collect and cling together in masses as large as 

 an ordinary teacup, in which condition they are 

 frequently caught, and drawn up in the bucket. 

 When they are thus brought up, though they may 

 have been in the water a day or more, they are all 

 living, though half drowned and barely able to move. 

 While in the well they are all afloat, and at least 

 one-half the mass submerged. As it is known 

 that this species of ant cannot survive fifteen 

 minutes under water, how they manage when in a 

 large half-sunken mass to survive a day, or even 

 longer, is a question to which I may fail to give a 

 satisfactory solution. I may, however, from experi- 

 ments I have made with single individuals, in water, 

 venture the assertion that there is no possible 

 chance for the submerged portion of the globular 

 mass, if it remains in the same condition in relation 

 to the water, to survive even half an hour. Then 

 we are forced to the supposition that by some 

 means or other the ball must be caused to revolve 

 as it floats. The globular mass must be kept roll- 

 ing, and make a revolution every four minutes, or 

 the submerged portion must die. To accomplish 

 this somewhat astonishing life -preserving process, 

 there is but one possible alternative. It can be 

 effected only by a united and properly directed 

 systematic motion of the disengaged limbs of the 

 outer tier of ants, occupying the submerged half of 

 the globular mass. 



I saw to-day (June 15), in a clean-trodden path 

 near my dwelling, quite a number of this species of 

 ant engaged in deadly conflict. They were strewed 

 along the path to the distance of 10 or 12 feet, 

 fighting, most of them, in single combat. In some 



