FOES OF THE TERMITES.. 247 



gence, and after a few hours a black army, in endless columns, is 

 seen to advance against the white-ant stronghold. With irre- 

 sistible fury (for the poor termites are no match for their 

 poisonous sting and mighty mandibles) they rush into the 

 galleries, and only retreat after the extirpation of the colony. 

 Mr. Baxter (' Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon ') once saw 

 an army of black ants returning from one of these expeditions. 

 Each little warrior bore a slaughtered termite in his mandibles, 

 rejoicing no doubt in the prospect of a quiet dinner-party at 

 home. Even man is a great consumer of termites, and they 

 are esteemed a delicacy by the natives, both in the old and in 

 the new world. 



In some parts of the East Indies the people have an ingenious 

 way of emptying a termite-hill, by making two holes in it, one 

 to the windward and the other to the leeward, placing at the 

 latter opening a pot rub))ed with an aromatic herb to receive 

 the insects, when driven out of their nest by the smoke of a 

 lire made at the former breach. In South Africa the general 

 way of catching them is to dig into the ant-hill, and when the 

 builders come forth to repair the damage, to brush them off 

 quickly into the vessel, as the ant-eater does into his mouth. 

 They are then parched in iron pots over a gentle fire, stirring 

 them about as is done in roasting coffee, and eaten by handfuls, 

 without sauce or any other addition, as we do comfits. Accord- 

 ing to Smeathman, they resemble in taste sugared cream, or 

 sweet almond paste, and are, at the same time, so nutritious 

 that the Hindoos use them as a restorative for debilitated 

 patients. 



While most termites live and work entirely under covered 

 galleries, the marching white ant {T. viarum) exposes itself to 

 the day. Smeathman, on one occasion, while passing through a 

 dense forest, suddenly heard a loud hiss like that of a serpent ; 

 another followed, and struck him with alarm ; but a moment's 

 reflection led him to conclude tliat these sounds proceeded from 

 white ants, although he could not see any of their huts around. 

 On following this noise, however, he was struck with surprise 

 and pleasure at perceiving an army of these creatures emerging 

 from a hole in the ground, and marching with the utmost- 

 swiftness. Having proceeded about a yard, this immense host 

 divided into two columns, chiefly composed of labourers, about 



