ENTOMOLOGY 



An Account of the Termites Bellicosus, or White Ants* 

 found in Africa: extracted from Mr. Smealhman's Travels 

 in that Country. 



THE curious history of the Termites, or White Ant 

 of Africa, has attracted the notice and investigation of 

 almost all travellers who have visited that immense country, 

 but hitherto in a very imperfect and unsatisfactory manner. 

 These extraordinary animals which erect for themselves 

 buildings of clay, twelve feet high and generally about six 

 feet broad at the base, are distinguished, like the Bee, the 

 Ant and other social animals, for the singular art with which 

 Ihey construct their habitations, which are built with great 

 strength and solidity. They appear to subsist chiefly upon 

 decayed timber, or wooden posts found in the villages which 

 are deserted by the natives, and of these they will devour an 

 amazing quantity ; the reproduction and multiplication ot 

 their own species being astonishing, rapid, and multifarious. 

 Of the species called Bellicosus, there are three orders, the 

 working insects, or Labourers; the fighting ones or Soldiers, 

 which do no kind of labour; and lastly the winged ones, or 

 perfect insects, which are male and female, and capable of 

 propagation. 



These last might very properly be called the nobility or 

 gentry, for they neither labour, or toil, or fight, being quite 

 incapable of either, or even of self-defence. These only are 

 capable of being elected Kings and Queens, and Nature has 

 so ordained it they generally emigrate in a few weeks after 

 they are elevated to this estate, and either establish new 

 kingdoms, or perish within a day or two. When these 

 insects attack those things which man would not wish to be 

 injured, they may be considered as being most pernicious, 

 but when they are employed in destroying decayed trees and 

 substances, which only encumber the surface of the earth, 



