WHITE ANTS. 295 



sight. The outward shell, or dome, is not only of use 

 to protect and support the interior buildings from ex- 

 ternal violence and the heavy rains, but to collect and 

 preserve a regular degree of the warmth and moisture 

 necessary for hatching the eggs and cherishing the 

 young. The royal chamber occupied by the king 

 and queen, appears to be, in the opinion of this little 

 people, of the most consequence, being alway situ- 

 ated as near the centre of the interior building as 

 possible. It is always nearly in the shape of half an 

 egg, or an obtuse oval, within, and may be supposed 

 to represent a long oven. In the infant state of the 

 colony, it is but about an inch in length; but in 

 time will be increased to six or eight inches, or more, 

 in the clear, being always in proportion to the size of 

 the queen, who, increasing in bulk as in age, at 

 length requires a chamber of such dimensions. 



Queen distended u-iik ic;-g^- 



Its floor is perfectly horizontal, and, in large 

 hillocks, sometimes more than an inch thick of solid 

 clay. The roof also, which is one solid and well- 

 turned oval arch, is generally of about the same 

 solidity, but in some places it is not a quarter of an 

 inch thick, on the sides where it joins the floor, and 

 where the doors or entrances are made level with it, 

 at nearly equal distances from each other. These 

 entrances will not admit any animal larger than the 

 soldiers or labourers; so that the king and the queen 



