220 [Sept 



i of an inch thick ; the lloor about J ; at the line of conjunction about j. Po-te- 

 riorly in the line of junction, between the roof and door was a small aporfure, 

 sholteretl from above by a spur of clay runnin;? downwards, which was tliconly 

 ■w-ay discovered of injiress and egress. It could not have admilted an insect iariror 

 than the soldiers, and even to them, as it then appeared, it must have been a 

 *' strait !;ate." The king could not have passed, and consequently, not the queen. 

 It had the appearance of having been repeatedly closed and opened by collections 

 of clay around it. 



That the queen is enclosed for life, is evident from the fact that she is, from 

 her great size, incapable of progression of herself, or of being transported by any 

 means within the power of the community. 



On clearing away the refuse at the base of the hill, the orifices of the main 

 pas3a<j;es under the basement were discovered; descending in a sloping direction, 

 they led to large vacant rooms, made by the pillars supporting the arch-work ; on 

 which rests the interior of the structure. These pillars, or colimins were of an 

 irregular, rounded shape, from i to 2i inches in diameter, and stood on the solid 

 ground about six inches high. 



On visiting this hill the next morning, all the passages in that portion of the 

 wall not dissected, were found well closed with fresh deposits of clay, and also 

 a continuous layer spread over the remaining central cellular work. This was 

 done during the night by the surviving members of the comu^unity for their pro- 

 tection against the cool air of the night, the rain, and hostile insects. 



The opening of a hill is the signal for the gathering of all their foes, — ants, 

 reptiles, &c.; hence the speedy closing of their various entrances, is a step of 

 primary importance. 



Another hill, previously dissected, was, after a time, so far repaired, as to be 

 externally perfect. On taking it down again, though the cellular work was appa- 

 rently restored, no queen was found, nor royal apartments; a few^ workers were 

 all the insects discovered, and they were collected in the cells in the walls of the hill. 

 Hill 2^.— Opened Feb. 3d, 1817. 



Circumference at base 26 ft. 10 in. 



Height on the outer surface 8 ft. C in. 



A diagonal section was made by a cross cut saw, beginning just below the 

 upper floor of Smeathman. 



The walls were much the thickest on the north side, nearly double those on 

 the south, measuring li feet through. 



It being in a locality where sand and gravel abounded, their materials were 

 freely mixed with the clay. 



The covered ways leading from the base to objects of plunder at a distance, 

 •were in this case larger and more numerous than any I have seen before. The 

 main one measured 12 inches in diameter, and gave olf several branches which 

 proceeded in various directions. These were traced to sticks, stumps and logs, 

 which afforded them prey. 



In this case, the laborers in the hill were generally of the smaller class, while 

 those in the covered ways and in the stumps were larger, having strong stout 

 jaws, well adapted to the gnawing of wood. The " royal chamber" was found 

 raised about li feet above the level of the ground. 



mil 2d. — Circumference at base, 50 feet. Height, 1 1 feet. 

 The notes do not state whether this is the perpendicular height or not. Several 

 fresh turrets were erected on the top, having a moist, deep red, granular appearance. 



