EGG-HATCHING. 395 



that she may have strength to produce tnem. She is simply 

 passive, and never even sees her eggs, much less has care of 

 her young. 



All the care of guarding and nurturing the eggs and young 

 falls upon the worker Termites. These insects are quite small, 

 about the size of our common Wood-ant. 



When they build the clay cell around their queen, they bore 

 a number ^f holes along the sides, which are just large enough 

 to allow the workers to pass freely, but which effectually exclude 

 the soldier Termites, or any foes larger than themselves. 



Through these apertures streams of workers are continually 

 passing some entering the cell to fetch the eggs, and others 

 coming out with eggs carried carefully in their jaws. 



EGG-HATCH1XG MACHINE. 



Thus, as the reader will see, we have in Nature an exact 

 analogy of Art, the Termite queen being confined within her 

 cell exactly as is the hen within the coop. 



BEING on the subject of eggs and egg-hatching, we will 

 take another case in which Art has ackrvowledgedly followed 

 Nature. 



We all know that eggs are developed into life by means of 

 well-regulated heat, and that with birds the general rule is, 

 that the needful heat is supplied by the parent bird, who sits 

 upon them for a certain time, until the young birds make their 

 appearance in the world. 



Under ordinary circumstances, the aid of the parent bird is 



