104 HAUNTS AND HOBBIES 



How strange it seems that these millions and millions 

 of wings, with all their wonderful machinery of nerves 

 and muscles, should be thus elaborated merely to serve 

 the purpose of one single flight, and that of only a few 

 minutes' duration ! 



Then there is something sad in thus beholding how 

 little by nature life is regarded — such myriads of 

 creatures called into being only to be immediately 

 destroyed. 



As I watched the wingless ants crawling away, 

 another speculation occurred to me. Such of these 

 little creatures as escaped the birds and their other 

 enemies would pass the rest of their existence in 

 tunnels and underground passages into which no 

 light can penetrate. 



It was near sunset ; the canopy of clouds had risen 

 and dispersed ; sky, clouds, and landscape were all 

 glowing with rainbow tints. As I watched the crawling 

 ants I wondered whether in their future dark abodes 

 they would ever recall in memory the picture of that 

 glorious outer world they were now beholding. 



In all my long residence in India this was the only 

 occasion on which I witnessed the issue of a swarm 

 of young white ants in the day-time and in the open 

 air. I have, however, several times witnessed their 

 issue in the house ; and then it is less agreeable. 

 One of these issues remains impressed on my memory ; 

 I wilj describe it. 



The house I was then occupying was a bungalow, 

 and, as is the case with many bungalows, the inner 

 walls were constructed of merely sun-dried bricks, and 



