242 LARGE ANT HILLS. 



presence of blood in their neighbourhood. The 

 worst was, there was no way of getting rid of 

 them ; and it would have been a long and tiresome 

 job to have killed all that were seen. My naked 

 companions protected me in a great measure, for to 

 these the insects directed their chief attention, 

 whilst upon the first intimation of the presence 

 of the few, that did venture upon my legs, I 

 pulled up the bottoms of my trowsers, and with 

 the sharp point of my knife dislodged the little 

 vampires very quickly. The favourite locality of 

 these pests appears to be beneath trees where 

 cattle have recently been. The numbers that may 

 be seen in such situations are incredible, and they 

 very soon drive the tired traveller from the shelter, 

 where he had hoped to find a friendly shade from 

 the burning sun. The natives call them "killem," 

 and a somewhat similar insect, though much larger, 

 preys exclusively upon the camel, where their 

 presence is believed by the owner, to indicate 

 health in the animal. 



In this situation I also observed numerous large 

 ant-hills, some of which were conical-formed emi- 

 nences, at least six feet high, with a circumference 

 of several yards. Himyah having fired his match- 

 lock, at a vulture perched on the top of one of 

 these insect edifices, missed the bird, but buried 

 the ball deep into the interior. I walked up to exa- 

 mine the injury done to the walls of clay, and was 

 surprised to find the work of restoration already 



