Show ants and their uses during 12 months spent in the australian colonies in tb the yeara eyears 1870 1 1 had more opportunities than were pleasant of studying the habits babits of ants these insects as is well known are not only a nuisance but an absolute pest in hot countries they march in myriads and destroy everything in their road in justice to the ants I 1 am bound how 1 ever to admit that I 1 have bate found them useful in more ways than one for instance I 1 bought an opossum skin akin rug from a native I 1 soon eoon became paint painfully ully aware of the fact that it literally swarmed with fleas and other vermin in vain did I 1 exhaust my stock of pepper even turpentine seemed to have no DO effect beyond increasing the rec reckless kleEs activity of these irritating settlers at last in despair I 1 threw my rug down on an ant hill bill in less than half an hour every flea bea and objectionable parasite was eaten but the rug was full of ants I 1 therefore hung it on a mimosa bush and as soon scon as the ants found they were suspended they hastened to leave the ng and descended by the bush as best they could again I 1 had bad killed billed a snake in tasmania and wished to clean and bleach the skeleton which I 1 intended to have mounted as a necklace I 1 left the bod body y near an ants nest in a few hours there was not a vestige of flesh on the bones the sun soon did the rest Gent lemans magazine |