ANTS VERSUS CATERPILLARS.
The Belgian Official Journal, referring to the ignorant conduct of those who destroy all kinds of birds and insects indiscriminately, insists on the necessity of children in primary schools being taught to distinguish between useful and noxious insects, and thus to exercise their destructive faculties against the latter only. The writer proceeds to say that the ant, which is very disagreeable and inconvenient in many respects, does excellent service in chasing and destroying caterpillars with relentless energy. A farmer who had noticed this fact, and had had his cabbages literally devoured by caterpillars, at last hit upon the expedient of having an ant hill, or rather nest, such as abound in pine forests, brought to his cabbage plot. A sackful of the pine points, abounding in ants, was obtained and its contents strewn around the infested cabbage plants. The ants lost no time, but immediately set to work; they seized the caterpillars by their heads. The next day heaps of dead caterpillars were found, but not one alive, nor did they return to the cabbages. The value of ants is well known in Germany, and although their eggs are in great request as food for young partridges, pheasants, and nightingales, there is a fine against taking them from the forests. The ant is indefatigable in hunting its prey; it climbs to the very tops of trees, and destroys an immense quantity of noxious insects.—Sel.