186 



THE UNIVERSE. 



egg-laying machines of the most astonishing fecundity. 

 When theii- abdomen is swelled to its utmost extent^ it is 

 not less than 2000 times its previous size; they can no longer 

 drag it about with them, and henceforth remain chained 

 to one spot. The laying is so rapid, that it looks like a 

 fountain spouting eggs. This receptacle of offspring proj ects 

 them at the rate of sixty a minute, or 80,000 per diem. 



The dimensions and solidity of the nests of the warrior 

 Termes, compared to the weakness of the insect, have 



112. Warrior Termites [Termes IxUicosiis, Smeath. ; Termes fataJis, Linn. ) Soldier, Workman, 

 Male, and Female swollen -with Eggs. 



always excited the astonishment of travellers. They are 

 sometimes tAventy feet in height. Their pyramidal form 

 gives them the look of a colossal sugar-loaf enlarged at 

 the base, the flanks of which are roughened by little 



