ANATURALIST. 47 



templation of the real lover of nature, who is ever 

 happy to witness the beneficence of the great Crea- 

 tor, not less displayed in trivial circumstances, than 

 in the most wonderful of His works. 



No particular change was discoverable in the 

 works of niy little miners, except that all the places 

 which had been a second time broken down, were 

 again repaired, showing that the animal had passed 

 between the times of my visit; and it may not be 

 uninteresting to observe how the repair was effected. 

 It appeared, when the animal arrived at the spot 

 broken open or exposed to the air, that it changed 

 its direction sufficiently downwards to raise enough 

 of earth from the lower surface to fill up the open- 

 ing; this of course slightly altered the direction of 

 the gallery at this point, and though the earth 

 thrown up was quite pulverulent, it was so nicely 

 arched as to retain its place, and soon became con- 

 solidated. Having broken open a gallery where the 

 turf was very close, and the soil tenacious, I was 

 pleased to find the direction of the chamber some- 

 what changed : on digging farther with my clasp- 

 knife, I found a very beautiful cell excavated in very 

 tough clay, deeper than the common level of the gal- 

 lery, and towards one side. This little lodging-room 

 would probably have held a small melon, and was 

 nicely arched all round. It was perfectly clear, and 

 quite smooth, as if much used : to examine it fully, 

 I was obliged to open it completely. (The next 

 day, it was replaced by another, made a little far- 

 ther to one side, exactly of the same kind : it was 



