299 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
THE BATTLE OF THE ANTS. 
I was a witness to events of a less peace¬ 
ful character. One day when I went out to 
my woodpile, or rather to my pile of stumps, 
I observed two large ants, the one red, the 
other much larger, nearly half an inch long, 
and black, fiercely contending with one anoth¬ 
er. Having once got hold they never let go, 
but struggled and wrestled and rolled on the 
chips incessantly. Looking further I was 
surprized to find that the chips were covered 
with combatants, that it was not a duellum 
but a helium, a war between two races of 
ants, the red always pitted against the black, 
and frequently two red ones to one black. 
The legions of these Myrmidons covered all 
the hills and vales in my wood-yard, and the 
ground was already strewn with the dead 
and dying, both red and black. It was the 
only battle-field which I have ever witnessed, 
the only battle-field I ever trod while the 
battle was raging ; internecine war; the red 
republicans on the one hand, and the black 
imperialists on the other. On every side 
they were engaged in deadly combat, yet 
without any noise that I could hear, and hu¬ 
man soldiers never fought so resolutely. I 
watched a couple that were fast locked in 
each other’s embraces, in a little sunny 
valley amid the chips, now at noon-day pre¬ 
pared to fight till the sun went down, or life 
went out. The smaller red champion had 
fastened himself like a vise to his adversa¬ 
ry’s front, and through all the tumblings on 
that field, never for an instant ceased to 
gnaw at one of his feelers near the root, 
havjng already caused the other to go by the 
board; while the stronger black one dashed 
him from side to side, and, as I saw on look¬ 
ing nearer, had already divested him of sev¬ 
eral of his members. They fought with 
more pertinacity than bull-dogs. Neither 
manifested the least disposition to retreat. 
It was evident that their battle-cry was 
“ Conquer or die.” In the meanwhile there 
came along a single red ant on the hill-side 
of this valley, evidently full of excitement, 
who either had despatched his foe, or had 
not yet taken part in the battle; probably the 
latter, for he had lost none of his limbs; 
whose mother had charged him to return 
with his shield or upon it. Or perhaps he 
was some Achilles, who had nourished his 
wrath apart, and had now come to avenge or 
rescue his Patroclus. He saw this unequal 
combat from afar—for the blacks were near¬ 
ly twice the size of the red—he drew near 
with rapid pace till he stood on his guard 
within half an inch of the combatants : then, 
watching his opportunity, he sprang upon the 
black warrior, and commenced his operations 
near the root of his right fore leg, leaving 
the foe to select among his own members ; 
and so there were three united for life, as if 
a new kind of attraction had been invented 
which put all other locks and cements to 
shame. I should not have wondered by this 
time to find that they had their respective 
musical bands stationed on some eminent 
chip, and playing their national airs the while 
to excite the slow and cheer the dying com¬ 
batants. I was myself excited somewhat, 
even as if they had been men. The more 
you think of it, the less the difference.. And 
certainly there is not the fight recorded in 
Concord history, at least, if in the history of 
America, that will bear a moment’s com¬ 
parison with this, whether for the numbers 
engaged in it, or for the patriotism and hero¬ 
ism displayed. For numbers and for car- 
narge it was an Austerlitz or Dresden. 
Concord Fight! Two killed on the patriots’ 
side, and Luther Blanchard wounded 1 Why 
here every ant was a Buttrick—“ Fire! for 
God’s sake fire !”■—and thousands shared the 
fate of Davis and Hosmer. There was not 
one hireling there. I have no doubt that it 
was a principle they fought for, as much as 
our ancestors, and not to avoid a three-pen¬ 
ny tax on their tea ; and the results of this 
battle will be as important and memorable to 
those whom it concerns as those of the bat¬ 
tle of Bunker Hill, at least. 
I took up the chip on which the three I 
have particularly described were struggling, 
carried it into my house, and placed it under 
a tumbler on my window-sill, in order to see 
the issue. Holding a microscope to the first 
mentioned red ant, I saw that, though he was 
assiduously gnawing at the near fore-leg of 
his enemy, having severed his remaining 
feeler, his own breast was all torn away, ex¬ 
posing what vitals he had there to the jaws of 
the black warrior, whose breast-plate was 
apparently too thick for him to pierce ; and 
the dark carbuncles of the sufferer’s eyes 
shone with ferocity such as war only could 
excite. They struggled half an hour longer 
under the tumbler, and when I looked again 
the black soldier had severed the heads of 
his foes from their bodies, and their still 
living heads were hanging on either side of 
him like ghastly trophies at his saddle bow, 
still apparently as firmly fastened as ever, 
and he was endeavoring with feeble strug¬ 
gles, being without feelers and with only the 
remnant of a leg, and I know not how many 
other wounds, to divest himself of them ; 
which at length, after half an hour more, he 
accomplished. I raised the glass, and he 
went off over the window-sill in that crippled 
state. Whether he finally survived that 
combat, and spent the remainder of bis days 
in some Hotel des Invalides, I do not know ; 
but I thought that his industry would not be 
worth much thereafter. I never learned 
which party was victorious, nor the cause of 
the war; but I felt for the rest of that day as 
if I had my feelings excited and harrowed by 
witnessing the struggle, the ferocity and car¬ 
nage, of a human battle before my door. 
Thoreau's Life in the Woods. 
Habits of the Wasp. —The subterfuges 
resorted to by animals in search of food, 
have been regarded by the general reader, 
as the most interesting and instructive por¬ 
tion of the works of the naturalist. An in¬ 
cident illustrative of the cunning of the wasp, 
was recently related to us, says the Exeter 
News Letter, by an observing gentleman : 
A blue wasp, known as the solitary wasp, 
because it lives alone in its little clay nest, 
was seen to hurl itself upon the strong, 
wheel-shaped web of a large spider. Here 
it sat up a loud buzzing like that of a fly 
when accidentally entangled in a similar 
web. The spider watching at the door of its 
silken domicil, stole cautiously forth. His 
advance was slow, for he evidently felt that 
he was approaching no common enemy. 
The apparently desperate, yet fruitless ef¬ 
forts of the wasp to free himself, encouraged 
the spider and lured him forward. But when 
within some three inches of his intended 
victim, the wasp suddenly freed himself from 
his mock entanglements, and darting upon 
the poor spider, in a moment pierced him 
with his deadly sting in a thousand places. 
The wasp then bore his ill-gotten spoil to 
his lonely home. This house is built of 
clay, thimble-shaped, and originally contain¬ 
ing but one apartment. In the lower part of 
this cul-de-sac the wasp deposits its eggs. 
Immediately over them, it draws a thin glu¬ 
tinous curtain. Upon this curtain it packs 
away the proceeds of its hunting excursions, 
such as spiders, flies, and all other insects 
which it regards as suitable food for its 
young ; consequently, when the young es¬ 
cape from the ova, they find above them a 
well stocked larder, and gradually eat their 
way through the choice depository, finally 
appearing to the delighted world in the 
agreeable form and stature of perfect waps. 
HONORING PARENTS. 
As a stranger went into the church-yard 
of a pretty village, he beheld three children 
at a newly made grave. A boy about ten 
years of age was busily engaged in plac¬ 
ing sods of turf about it, while a girl, who 
appeared a year or two younger, held in her 
apron a few roots of wild flowers. The 
third child, still younger, was sitting on the 
grass, watching with thoughtless look the 
movements of the other two. 
They wore pieces of crape on their straw 
hats, and a few other signs of mourning, 
such as are sometimes worn by the poor 
who struggle between their poverty and 
afflictions. 
The girl soon began planting some of the 
wild flowers around the head of the grave, 
when the stranger addressed them : 
“Whose grave is this, children, about 
which you are so busily engaged 1” 
“ Mother’s grave, sir,” said the boy. 
“ And did your father send you to plant 
these flowers around your mother’s grave V 
“ No, sir ; father lies here too, and little 
William, and sister Jane.” 
“ When did they die V’ 
“ Mother was buried a fortnight yesterday, 
sir, but father died last winter; they all lie 
here.” 
“ Then who told you to do this ?” 
“ Nobody, sir,” replied the girl. 
“ Then why do you do it 1” 
They appeared at a loss for an answer ; 
but the stranger looked so kindly at them, at 
length the eldest replied, as the tears started 
to his eyes. 
“ Oh, we do love them, sir.” 
“ Then you put these grass turfs and wild 
flowers where your parents are laid, because 
you love them 1” 
“Yes, sir,” they all eagerly replied. 
What can be more beautiful than such an 
exhibition of children honoring their de¬ 
ceased parents 1” 
Never forget the dear parents who loved 
and cherished you in your infant days. Ever 
remember their parental kindness. Honor 
their memory by doing those things which 
you know would please them were they now 
alive, by a particular regard to their dying 
commands, and by carrying on their plans 
of usefulness. 
Are your parents spared to you 1 Ever 
treat them as you would wish you had done, 
when you stand a lonely orphan at their 
graves. A remembrance of kind, affection¬ 
ate conduct toward those departed friends, 
then will help to soothe your grief and heal 
your wounded heart. 
A Kansas Bull Story. —Sixty yoke of red 
bulls, according to the Frontier News, were 
seen last week by an old lady in Kansas, 
hitched to an empty wagon, which was 
mired in the streets of that city. The team 
reached entirely from hill to hill, across one 
of our valleys, vulgarly called guts. The 
wagon, being tight in the mud, refused to 
move; the consequence was, when that por¬ 
tion of the team in the lead over on the 
other hill, spread themselves in a strong 
pull, and straightened the chains, that 27 
yoke of the bulls in center were suspended 
in mid air by their necks, something less 
than fifty feet above ground. 
ValIB: of a Schoolmaster. —There is no 
office higher than that of a teacher of youth, 
for there is nothing on earth so precious as 
the mind, soul, and character of the child. 
No office should be regarded with greater 
respect. The first minds in a community 
should be encouraged to assume it. Parents 
should do all but impoverish themselves, to 
induce such to become the guardians of their 
