7ERMES. 
447 
fuliy as not to let it be distinguishable while it 
remains moist; and externally it has no other ap- 
pearance than that of a shapeless lump of clay. It 
is, however, easily found from its situation Avith re- 
spect to the other parts of the building, and by the 
crouds of labourers and soldiers which surround it, 
Avho shew their loyalty and fidelity by dying under 
its wails. The royal chamber in a large nest is ca- 
pacious enough to hold many hundreds of the at- 
tendants, besides the roj^al pair, and you always find 
it as full of them as it can hold. These faithful sub- 
jects never abandon their charge even in the last di- 
stress; for Avhenever I took out the royal chamber, 
and, as I often did, preserved it for some time in 
a large glass bowl, all the attendants continued 
running in one direction round the king and queen 
with the utmost solicitude, some of them stopping 
on every circuit at the head of the latter, as if to 
give her something. When they came to the extre- 
mity of the abdomen, they took the eggs from her, 
and carried them au'ajg and piled them carefully 
together in some part of the chamber, or in. the 
boAvi under, or behind any pieces of broken clay 
which lay most convenient for the purpose. 
‘‘ Some of these little unhappy creatures would 
ramble from the chamber, as if to exjdore the 
cause of such a horrid ruin and catastrophe 
to their immense building, as it must appear to 
them; and, after fruitless endeavours to get over 
the side of tiie bowl, return and mix Avith the 
croud that continue running round their common 
parents to the last. Others, placing themselves 
