White Ants. 319 



the exterior and the interior. The exterior is one large 

 shell, in the manner of a dome, large and strong enough to 

 inclose and shelter the interior from the vicissitudes of the 

 weather, and the inhabitants from the attacks of natural or 

 accidental enemies. It is always, therefore, much stronger 

 than the interior building, which is the habitable part, 

 divided, with a wonderful kind of regularity and contrivance, 

 into an amazing number of apartments for the residence of 

 the king and queen, and the nursing of the numerous pro- 

 geny ; or for magazines, which are always found well filled 

 with stores and provisions. The hills make their first 

 appearance above ground by a little turret or "two, in the 

 shape of sugar-loaves, which are run a foot high or more. 

 Soon after, at some little distance, while the former are 

 increasing in height and size, they raise others, and so go on 

 increasing their number, and widening them at the base, till 

 their works below are covered with these turrets, of which 

 they always raise the highest and largest in the middle, and 

 by filling up the intervals between each turret, collect them 

 into one dome. They are not very curious or exact in the 

 workmanship, except in making them very solid and strong ; 

 and when, by their joining them, the dome is completed, for 

 which purpose the turrets answer as scaffolds, they take away 

 the middle ones entirely, except the tops, which, joined 

 together, make the crown of the cupola, and apply the clay 

 to the building of the works within, or to erecting fresh 

 turrets for the purpose of raising the hillock still higher ; so 

 that some part of the clay is probably used several times, 

 like the boards and posts of a mason's scaffold. 



When these hills are little more than half their height, 

 it is a common practice of the wild bulls to stand as sentinels 

 on them, while the rest of the herd are ruminating below. 

 They are sufficiently strong for that purpose, and at their 

 full height answer excellently well as places of look-out ; 

 and Mr. Sraeathman has been, with four more, on the top of 

 one of these hillocks, to watch for a vessel in sight. The 

 outward shell, or dome, is not only of use to protect and 

 support the interior buildings from external violence and 



