216 [Sept. 



which they escape, are temporary, created for this purpose, and closed when the 

 sv.-armiiiir ceases. During this process, the almos|ihere for many rods distant, 

 seems to be filled with t.'iem. Hirds are then seen whirlinji and darting throu;j;li 

 the air in quick pursuit — all ordeisof insect-eating animals, are now on the alert. 

 Barn yard fowls are seen to jump up several feet from the ground, to catch them 

 as they descend. Indeed, men as well as brutes, make them their prey. All 

 tribes of Africans, however, do not cat them. The Grebos, who inhabit 

 Cape Pal mas, and among whom these observations were made, reject them as 

 food. Why, it is difFicult to tell, unless it be from the trouble attending their 

 capture. It is not from any fastidiousness of taste, for they are known to eat 

 snakes, toads, grubs, beetles, and even putrid moat, with zest. Tribes about fifty 

 miles to the windward of Cape Palmas, use them as food. To cati-li them, bowls 

 of water are set on the ground, into which they fall as their wings drop off". 

 They are then roasted as shrimps, and the larger beetles (goliathi) arc said to be 

 equally sweet. 



The individuals of the two sexes appear to be about the same size when they 

 issue from the hill, Jiot exceeding half an inch. The largest queen I have ever 

 seen at the head of a community, measured 43 inches in length. 



Messrs. Kirby and Spence state that the queen lives but two years, which is 

 incorrect. I have observed the yearly increase of hills for fve years or more, 

 and, when dissected, they have yielded a queen of corresponding size. To say 

 that a successor to the original one might have been elected, would be gratuitous. 

 Nothing is known of their habits to warrant such an assertion, while every thing 

 we do know goes to prove that they live for many years. 



It is stated also, that but one queen is ever found in a hill. This, too, is in- 

 correct. But one is generally found. 1 have known two to occur. They were 

 contained in the same structure, called by Smeathman "the royal chamber," but 

 separated by a septum of clay. The hill was of the usual size. It was "dug 

 down " by a colonist at Cape Palmas, who, knowing that I was investigatmg the 

 habits of the insect, kindly brought them to my residence. I regretted exceed- 

 ingly my inability to decide the question which arose to my mind at first sight, 

 " Is it a case of bigamy ?" The person who discovered them, took no notice, and 

 was unable to say that he saw even one king. It occurred to me that it might 

 be an anomaly. I therefore made inquiries at Mont Srnw/n, and thp different 

 European settlements that I visited, and ascertained that the same thint had 

 occurred at those points, though it was considered quite unusual. 



I am able here to confirm the truth of Mr. Pmcathman's statement, that the 

 king and queen are permanently enclosed in thf^ir apartment, which has been 

 doubted by the eminent writer of the article Tenniildie, in the British Cyclopae- 

 dia of Natural History, (understood to be J. 0. Westvvood, Esq.) 



The sentence in which the doubt occurs, runs as follows : "The young queen 

 of the hive swarms, is followed by a portion of the community; and the female 

 after swarming, and the loss of her wings, is guarded by the worker ants ; there 

 is, therefore, so much analogy in these circumstances, that we are almost tempted 

 to consider that Smeathman must have erred in statin2;that theworking Termites 

 imprison both the king and queen Termes. Tiiat it should he necessary for the 

 latter to be carefully guarded, will be very evident ; but why the king in his 

 helpless and wingless state, (for we consider that the loss of wings is consequent 



