134 CONVERSATIONS ON 



The walls went on very rapidly, and it often 

 happened that two little walls, which were to 

 make a passage or gallery, would be raised 

 opposite and at a small distance from each 

 other. When they were about a quarter of 

 an inch high, the ants would set to work and 

 cover them with an arched ceiling. After 

 they had raised all the walls as high as they 

 wished, on the inside of each wall at the top 

 they began to put in pieces of wet dirt almost 

 level, and in such a way as to make a ledge; 

 and by joining on more dirt to it, it would 

 meet the ledge made from the opposite wall 

 so as to make a roof: these roofs over the 

 galleries were about a quarter of an inch 

 across. The ceilings over the large halls 

 were sometimes as much as two inches in 

 breadth, and to support these they raised 

 pillars; and beginning in the corner where 

 two walls joined, they would commence the 

 ceiling with a ledge, while from the top of 

 each pillar they would also build out a layer 

 of earth a little rounded on the top ; these 

 they continued to add to until all met and 

 made a complete cover for the hall." 



"I wonder it did not fall, Uncle Philip, be- 

 fore they could join it together." 



