THE TERMITE, OR WHITE ANT. 345 



eggs by the thousand, which are immediately carried ofif by the 

 workers, who have reserved certain apertures in the royal apart- 

 ment through which they can easily pass. When the eggs are 

 hatched, the young are carefully watched and tended until they 

 are at last developed into males, females, or neuters, and them- 

 selves are able to take part in the manual work. 



A full-sized nest of the African Termite is a wonderful struc- 

 ture. Although made merely of clay, the walls are nearly as 

 hard as stone, and quite as hard as the brick of which " villa 

 residences " axe usually built. The form of the nest is essentially 

 conical, a large cone occupying the centre, and smaller cones 

 being grouped round it, like pinnacles round a Gothic spire. 



In Anderson's valuable work, " Lake Ngami," there are many 

 detached accounts of the African Termite. He states that he 

 has seen nests which were full twenty feet in height, and had a 

 circumference of hundred feet, and that when the insects were 

 developed and obtained their wings, they issued forth in such 

 hosts that the air seemed as if it were filled with dense and 

 white snow flakes. So strong is the instinct for rushing into the 

 air, that they can scarcely be retained within the nest, and will 

 even pass through fire in order to gain their end. 



The nests are always interesting objects, even from the exterior. 

 The walls are so hard that hunters are accustomed to mount 

 upon them for the purpose of looking out for game, and the wild 

 buffalo has a similar habit, the structure being strong enough 

 even to support the weight of so large an animal The daily 

 labours of the architects can easily be traced, on account of the 

 dampness of the recent clay, so that an approximation can be 

 formed as to the length of time which is occupied in erecting one 

 of the nests. The traveller is always glad to see a large Termite 

 nest, because he is nearly sure to find the surface studded with 

 mushrooms, which are larger and better flavoured than those 

 which our fields produce. 



The natives have another motive for looking after the Termite 

 nests, because they eat the inmates, considering them to be a 

 peculiar luxury. The same author whom I have already men- 

 tioned, describes a curious interview that he had with Palani, a 

 Bayeiye chief. Wishing to show the chief the superiority of 

 European cookery, Mr. Anderson spread some apricot jam on 

 bread, and offered it to him. The chief took it, and expressed 



