OF NATURAL IIISTORT. 371 



all times well ftoreJ with provifions, which, to the naked eye, 

 feem to confill: of the rafpings of wood and plants which the 

 termites deftroy ; but, when examined by the microfcope, 

 they are found to confift chiefly of the gums or infpiflated 

 iuices of plants, thrown together in fmall irregular mafles. 

 Of thefe mafles, fome are finer than others, and refemble the 

 fugar about preferved fruits -, others refemble the tears of 

 gum, one being quite tranfparent, another like amber, a third 

 brown, and a fourth perfe^lly opaque. 



The magazines are always intermixed with the nurferies, 

 which lafl: are buildings totally different from the reft: of the 

 apartments. They are compofed entirely of wooden mate- 

 rials, which feem to be cemented with gums. Mr. Smeath- 

 man very properly gives them the appellation of nurferies ; 

 becaufe they are invariably occupied by the eggs, and the 

 young ones, which flrfl: appear in the fliape of labourers ; 

 but they are as white as fnow. Thefe buildings are exceed- 

 irtgly coinpatSt, and are divided into a number of fmall irre- 

 gular-fliaped chambers, not one of which is half an inch 

 wide. They are placed all round, and as near as pofllble to 

 the royal apartments. When a nefl: or hillock is in the in- 

 fant ftate, the nurferies are clofe to the royal apartment. 

 But as, in procefs of time, the body of the queen enlarges, it 

 becom^^s necefll;ry, for her accommodation, to augment the 

 dimenfions of her chamber. She then, likewife, lays a great- 

 er number of eggs, and requires more attendants ; of courfe, 

 it is neceflary that both the number and dimenfions of the 

 adjacent apartments fliould be augmented. For this pur- 

 pofe, the fmall firfi: built nurferies are taken to pieces, re- 

 built a little farther off, made a fize larger, and their num- 

 ber, at the fame time, is increafed. Thus the animals are 

 continually employed in pulling down, repairing, or rebuild- 

 ing their apartments ; and thefe operations they perform 

 with wonplerful fagacity, regularity, and forefight. 



