THE WHITE ANTS. 



187 



that in Africa, Cetewayo's wives -and, indeed, all queens- 

 are found to be very fat. Theories so plausible as these are 

 always admissible until contradicted by facts, and I admit 

 them, though in my scientific creed a rank sceptic and 

 rationalist, doubting even my own evolution from bathy- 

 bius via the anthropoid ape. At the same time, I have 

 never been able to see where the new colonies are sup- 

 posed to be founded. Emigration is an excellent thing, 

 but I suppose there must be some country to emigrate to 

 before its advantages can be developed. Now, in a land 

 whose soil is three-fourths white ants and one-fourth 

 earthy matter or stone, where is the new colony to settle ? 

 in the interstices between these already in possession ? 

 Then, again, as to those pioneers going to found new 

 colonies : they mostly go to fatten the birds. I remember 

 sitting with a friend and watching them one fine monsoon 

 day, as they issued from a hole in the ground. The hole 

 was so small that they struggled out with difficulty, one 

 at a time, though a number of sturdy workers were behind 

 pushing them. At first a lizard was posted at the mouth 

 of the hole, and licked them up as they came out, but we 

 drove it off, and mounted guard ourselves, to see fair play. 



Every post of vantage on the trees around was occupied 



13-2 



