WHITE ANTS. 259 



The former are chambers of clay, and are always well filled 

 with provisions, which, to the naked eye, seem to consist 

 of the raspings of wood, and plants which the termites de- 

 stroy ; but are found by the microscope to be principally 

 the gums or inspissated juices of plants. These are thrown 

 together in little masses, some of w^hich are finer than 

 others, and resemble the sugar about preserved fruits; 

 others are like tears of gum, one quite transi;)arent, another 

 like amber, a third brown, and a fourth quite opaque, as 

 we see often in parcels of ordinarj^ gums. These magazines 

 are intermixed with the nurseries, which are buildings 

 totally different from the rest of the apartments ; for these 

 are composed entirely of wooden materials, seemingly 

 joined together with gums. Mr. Smeathman calls them 

 the nurseries, because they are invariably occupied by the 

 eggs and young ones, which appear at first in the shape of 

 labourers, but white as snow. These buildings are exceed- 

 ingly compact, and divided into many very small irregular- 

 shaped chambers, not one of which is to be found of half 

 an inch in width. They are placed all round, and as near 

 as possible to the royal apartments. 



When the nest is in the infant state, the nurseries are 

 close to tlie royal chambers ; but as, in process of time, 

 the queen enlarges, it is necessary to enlarge the chamber 

 for her accommodation ; and as she then lays a greater 

 number of eggs, and requires a greater number of at- 

 tendants, so it is necessary to enlarge and increase the 

 number of the adjacent apartments ; for which purpose 

 the small nurseries which are first built are taken to 

 pieces, rebuilt a little further of a size larger, and the 

 number of them increased at the same time. Thus they 

 continually enlarge their apartments, pull down, repair, 

 or rebuild, according to their wants, with a degree of 

 sagacity, regularity, and foresight, not even imitated by 

 any other kind of animals or insects. 



All these chambers, and the passages leading to and 

 from them, being arched, they help to support each other ; 

 and while the interior large arches prevent them from 

 falling into the centre, and keep the area open, the ex- 



