44S 
' TERMES. 
along her side, get hold of the queen’s vast matrix 
u itli their jaws, and pull with all their strength so 
as visibly to lift up the part which they fix at; 
but, as I never saw any effect from these attempts, 
I never could determine whether this pulling was 
with an intention to remove her body, or to stimu- 
late her to move herself, or for any other purpose ; 
but, after many ineffectual tugs, they would desist 
and join in the croud running round, or assist 
some of those who are cutting off clay from the 
external parts of the chamber or some of the frag- 
ments and moistening it with the juices of their 
bodies, to begin to work a thin arched shell over 
the body of the queen, as if to exclude the air, or 
to hide her from the observation of some enemy. 
These, if not interrupted, before the next morn- 
ing, completely cover her, leaving room enough 
within for great numbers to run about her. 
“ I do not mention the king in this case, be- 
cause he is very small in proportion to the queen, 
not being bigger than thirty of the labourers, so 
that he generally conceals himself under one side 
of the abdomen, except when he goes up to the 
queen’s head, which he does now and then, but 
not so frequently as the rest. . 
If in your attack on the hill you stop short of 
the royal chamber, and cut down about half of 
the building, and leave open some thousands of 
galleries and chambers, they will all be shut up 
with thin sheets of clay before the next morning. 
If even the whole is pvdled down, and the different 
buildings are thrown in a confused heap of ruins. 
