WHITE ANTS. 257 



miicli stronger tlian the interior building, wliicli is the 

 habitable part, divided, with a wonderful kind of regularity 

 and contrivance, into an amazing number of apartments 

 for the residence of the king and queen, and the nursing of 

 the numerous progeny ; or for magazines, which are always 

 found well filled with stores and provisions. The hills 

 make their first appearance above ground by a little turret 

 or two, in the shape of sugar-loaves, which are run a foot 

 high or more. Soon after, at some little distance, while 

 the former are increasing in height and size,°they raise 

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

 ing them at the base, till their works below are covered 

 with these turrets, of which they always raise the highest 

 and largest in the middle, and, by filling up the intervals 

 between each turret, collect them into one dome. They 

 are not very curious or exact in the workmanship, except 

 in making them very solid and strong ; and when, by their 

 joining them, the dome is completed, for which purpose 

 the turrets answer as scaffolds, they take away the middle 

 ones entirely, except the tops, which, joined together, 

 make the crown of the cupola, and apply the clay to the 

 building of the works within, or to erecting fresh turrets 

 for the purpose of raising the hillock still higher ; so that 

 some part of the clay is probably used several times, like 

 the boards and posts of a mason's scaffolds. 



When these hills are little more than half their height, 

 it is a common practice of the wild bulls to stand as 

 sentinels on them, while the rest of the herd are ruminat- 

 ing below. They are sufficiently strong for that purpose ; 

 and at their full height, answer excellently well as places 

 of look-out ; and Mr. Smeathman has been, with four more, 

 on the top of one of these hillocks, to watch for a vessel in 

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

 protect and support the interior buildings from external 

 violence and the heavy rains, but to collect and preserve a 

 regular degree of the waimth 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, 



