154 



NATURAL HIS ORY. 



[cH. vni. 



of the building, which, being the habitable part, is 

 divided, with a wonderful degree of regularity and 

 contrivance, into an amazing number of apartments 

 for the residence of the king and queen, and the 

 nursing of their numerous progeny ; or appropriated 

 as magazines, to hold provisions. 



These hills make their first appearance above 

 ground by a little turret or two in the shape of su- 

 gar-loaves, rising a foot or more in height. Soon 



after, at some little distance, while the first turrets 

 are increasing in height and size, the insects raise 

 others, and so go on, increasing their number, and 

 widening their bases, till the space occupied by their 

 under-ground works becomes covered with a series 

 of these elevations ; the centre turret is always the 

 highest ; the intervals between the turrets are then 

 fiDed up, and the whole collected, as it were, under 

 one dome. These interior turrets seem to be in- 

 tended chiefly as scaffolding for the dome ; for they 

 are, in a great part, removed when that has been 

 erected. 



When these hills have reached somewhat more 

 than half their height, they furnish a convenient 

 stand, where the wild bulls of the district may be 

 seen to station themselves, while acting as senti- 

 nels and watching the rest of the herd reposing and 

 ruminating below ; they aie sufficiently strong fot 



