WHITE ANTS. 67 



on every leaf, and in every possible place, for this unhappy 

 race, of which probably not a pair in many millions get into 

 a place of safety, fulfil the first law of nature, and lay the 

 foundation of a new community. 



Not only do ants, birds and reptiles, but even the inha- 

 bitants of the country, eagerly seek after these wingless 

 creatures and devour them with the greatest avidity. Mr, 

 Smeathman himself considered them delicious and delicate 

 eating. 



It is wonderful that a pair should ever escape so many 

 dangers and get into a place of security. Some, however, 

 are so fortunate ; and being found by some of the labouring 

 insects that are continually running about the surface of 

 the ground under their covered galleries, which will short- 

 ly be described, are elected kings and queens of new states ; 

 all those which are not so elected and preserved certainly 

 perish, and most probably in the course of the following 

 day. The manner in which these labourers protect the 

 happy pair from their innumerable enemies, not only on the 

 day of the massacre of almost all their race, but for a long 

 time afterwards, seems to justify the use of the term elec- 

 tion. The little industrious creatures immediately enclose 

 them in a small chamber of clay suitable to their size, into 

 which at first they leave but one small entrance, large 

 enough for themselves and the soldiers to go in and out, 

 but much too small for either of the royal pair to make use 

 of; and when necessity obliges them to make more entran- 

 ces, they are never larger : so that of course, the voluntary 

 subjects charge themselves with the task of providing for 

 the offspring of their sovereigns, as well as to work and 

 fight for them, until they shall have raised a progeny capa- 

 ble at least of dividing the task with them. The business 

 of oviposition soon commences, and the labourers, having 

 constructed a small wooden nursery, as before described, 



F 2 



