NATURAL) HISTORY. 
crease the number of the adjacent 
apartments ; for which purpose the 
small nurseries which are first built, 
are taken to pieces, rebuilt a little 
farther off a size bigger, 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 
_ that I have yet heard of. 
There is one remarkable circum- 
stance attending the nurseries, which 
I must not.at this time omit. They 
are always found slightly overgrown 
with, and plentifully sprinkled with 
small white globules, about the size 
of asmail pin’s head. These at first 
I took to be the eggs, but on bring. 
ing them to the microscope, they 
evidently appeared to be a species of 
mushroom, in shape like our eatable 
mushroom, in the young state in 
which it is pickled. They appear, 
_ when whole, white like snow a little 
thawed and then frozen again, and 
When bruized seem composed of an 
infinite number of pellucid particles, 
approaching the oval forms, and dif- 
ficult to separate; the mouldiness 
seems to be the same kind of sub- 
stance. 
The nurseries are inclosed in 
chambers of clay, like those which 
contain the provisions, but much 
Jarger. In the early state of the 
nest they are not bigger than an 
hazel nut, but in great hills are often 
as large as a child’s head of a year 
old. 
The disposition of the interior 
parts of these hills, is pretty much 
alike, except when some insur- 
mountable obstacle prevents; for 
instance, when the king and queen 
943 
have been first lodged, near the foot 
of a rock or of a tree, they are cere 
tainly built out of .the usual form, 
otherwise pretty nearly according to 
the following plan. 
The royal chamber is situated at 
about a level with the surface of the 
ground, at an equal distance from 
all the sides of the building, and di- 
rectly under the apex of tbe hill. 
It is on all sides, both above and 
below, surrounded by what I should 
call the royal apartments, which 
have ouly labourers and soldiers in 
them, and can be intended for ne 
other purpose than for those to wait 
in, either to guard or serve their 
cominon fatherand mother, on whese 
safety depends the happiness, and, 
according to the negroes, even the 
existence, of the whole community. 
These apartments compose an in- 
tricate labyrinth, which extends a 
foot or more in diameter from the 
royal chambers, on every side. 
Here the nurseries and magazines of 
provisions begin; and, being sepa 
rated by small empty chambers and 
galleries, which go round them, or 
communicate from one to the other, 
are continued on all sides to the 
outward shell, and reach up within 
it two-thirds, or three-fourths of its 
height, leaving an open area in the 
middle, under the dome, which very 
much resembles the nave of an old 
cathedral ; this is surrounded by 
three or four very large gothic 
shaped arches, which are sometimes 
two or three feet high next the front 
of the area, but diminish very rapidly 
as they recede from thence, like the 
arches of aisles in perspectives, and 
are soon lost among the innumerable 
chambers and nurseries behind 
them. 
All these chambers, and the pas« 
sages leading to and from them, being 
arched 
