232 THE ADVENTURES OF 



once that it was the nest of a termite, or ant, which the 

 Mexicans call comejen. 



" It is a nest of white ants," I said to my son ; " they are 

 insects of the neuropteral order, and allied to the libellula" 



" But where are they ?" 



" You will soon see," I answered. 



So, kicking the spongy mass, immediately out came a 

 multitude of insects, which swarmed about in every direc- 

 tion, as if to ascei-tain the cause of the disturbance. Lucien 

 wanted to examine them closer. 



" Take care," I called out to him ; " the termites you see 

 are nothing but the inoffensive workers ; the soldier ants 

 will soon make their appearance, and if they bite you they 

 will certainly draw blood." 



Lucien looked at me, thinking I was joking. 



" I am speaking quite seriously," I hastened to add ; 

 " termites, like bees and ants, the latter of which they much 

 resemble at first sight, live in communities, and build nests 

 which are often larger than the one you are looking at. 

 This nest, skillfully divided into cells, contains a king, a 

 queen, workmen, and soldiers. The workmen are the clever 

 architects, whose duty it is to build, maintain, and, in case 

 of need, increase the curious edifice which you took for a 

 sponge. The only duty of the soldiers is fighting against 

 enemies that attempt to disturb the peace of the colony." 



" But I see thousands of holes ; does each termite have a 

 separate chamber ?" 



" Not exactly ; there is first a chamber for the queen, 

 which is the largest; then comes the nursery, afterwards a 

 large compartment, in which the working ants place the eggs 

 which the queen lays night and day." 



" How I should like to see all this !" 



Being convinced that practical illustration is better than 

 the clearest explanation, I again struck the nest. The 



