TERMITES. Ill 



were in flower, some merely small shrubs, 

 while others had attained the size of large trees ; 

 but the whole being, in full bloom, bestowed a 

 pleasing appearance upon the otherwise dull 

 scenery. These were as yet the only trees 

 which we had seen in full blossom, and in- 

 deed every twig was so thickly studded with 

 fragrant flowers of golden hue, as almost to con- 

 ceal the foliage, proving sources of attraction to 

 a multitude of insects which revelled in the 

 sweets they contained. 



Occasionally, among the trees or bushes, a 

 huge mound of clay, conical in form, would 

 attract the traveller's attention ; these were pro- 

 duced by the labours of a species of Termite, in- 

 digenous to the colony. I have seen the mounds 

 from four to five feet in elevation, and two or 

 three feet in diameter, firmly constructed of red 

 or white clay ; they furnish persons, about to 

 erect a mud-hut, with an excellent material, 

 ready prepared for use ; and then many of them, 

 together with myriads of their inhabitants, are 

 destroyed for the purpose. 



About nine miles further, we arrived at a 

 steep hill, up which we were obliged to lead 

 our horses, and there was a corresponding steep 

 descent on the opposite side of the ridge ; near 

 it was a lofty hill, surmounted by a bare mass 



