^56 



Popular Science Monthly 



As the photograph shows this huge ant-hill 



has been deserted by its original occupants 



to make room for two-legged inhabitants 



An Ant-Heap as a Look-out Station 



ONE of the most destructive of 

 African insects is the white ant. 

 This strange little creature, well under 

 an inch in length, erects huge heaps 

 in which to dwell. In some places, 

 particularly in the Congo, these heaps 

 convert an otherwise flat country into 

 a hilly one. They rise from twenty to 

 fifty feet and more in height. In- 

 variably they are crowned with several 

 l)amboo trees, which often attain a 

 height of another thirty to forty feet. 

 Then the heaps are often covered with 

 beautiful ferns and the choicest of wild 

 tropical flowers. 



The ants themselves are most de- 

 structive, demolishing everything ex- 

 cept iron and steel. They go about 

 in vast armies, and in a single night 

 the damage they will do is almost in- 

 credible. They will enter huts or tents 

 and attack everything that is not made 

 of iron. Curiously enough, they only 

 destroy that portion of the object that 

 is not exposed to the air. For instance, 

 they eat away the soles of boots, leav- 

 ing the uppers standing in their 

 place. It is only when you come to 



pick up the object that you find it has 

 been destroyed. The photograph de- 

 picts a deserted ant heap in the Congo 

 which the surveyors converted into a 

 look-out station. 



Living In a Tree Stump 



IN the big timber section of the Pacific 

 Northwest many huge fir and cedar 

 stumps are to be found, reduced to mere 

 shells through the action of fire or rot. 

 Some of these stumps measure twelve 

 feet in diameter. 



The pioneers of this region often util- 

 ized these hollow stumps for cattle shel- 

 ters, storage rooms or even as dwellings 

 for short periods. If open to the sky, 

 a roof of "shakes" was put on, which 

 kept the interior dry. Open fires could 

 be used, as the huge stumps acted as 

 chimneys, creating an excellent draught. 



The accompanying photograph shows 

 a big Washington cedar, in which four 

 men lived for over two months some 

 forty years ago. They were engaged in 

 building a home for one of the party, 

 who is pictured standing beside the 

 stump, wbich he has carefully preserved. 



Four men lived for two months in this tree 

 stump while building a permanent home 



