370 THE PHILOSOPHY 



Thefe hills make their firft appearance in the form of 

 conical turrets about a foot high. In a fhort time the infe^ls 

 ere^t, at a little diftance, other turrets, and go on increafing 

 their number and widening their bafes, till their underworks 

 are covered with thefe turrets, which the animals always 

 raife higheft in the middle of the hill, and, by filling up the 

 intervals between each turret, colic (SI them, at laft, into one 

 great dome. 



. < The royal chamber,' Mr. Smeathman remarks, < which is 

 f occupied by the king and queen, appears to be, in the opin- 

 < ion of this little people, of the moft confequence, and is al- 

 ' ways fitUcited as near the centre of the interior building as 



* poffible, and generally about the height of the common fur- 

 f face of the ground. It is always nearly in the fliape of half 



* an Qgg, or an obtufe oval, within, and may be fuppofed to 

 ' reprefent a long oven. In the infant ftate of the colony, it 



* is not above an inch, or thereabout, in length *, but in time 

 ? will be increafed to fix or eight inches, or more, in the clear, 



* being always in proportion to the fize of the queen, who, 



* increafing in bulk as in age, at length requires a chamber 

 F of fuch dimenllons.' 



The entrances into the royal chamber v\^iil not admit any 

 animal larger than the foldiers or labourers. Hence the 

 king and queen, which lafl, when full grown, is a thoufand 

 times the weight of a king, can never poflibly go out. The 

 royal chamber is furrounded by an innumerable quantity of 

 others, which are of difi^erent fizes, figures, and dimenfions ; 

 but all of them are arched either in a circular or an elliptical 

 form. Thefe chambers either open into each other, or have 

 communicating palTliges, which being always clear, are evi- 

 dently intended for the conveniency of the foldiers and atten- 

 dants, of whom, a.s v/ill foon appear, great numbers are neccf- 

 fary. Thefe apartments are joined by the magazines antl 

 nurferies. The magazines arc chambers of clay, and are ?<,t 



