WHITE ANTS. 295 



of one of these hillocks, to watch for a vessel in 

 sight. The outward shell, or dome, is not only of 

 use to protect and support the interior buildings from 

 external violence and the heavy rains, but to collect 

 and preserve a regular degree of the warmth and 

 moisture necessary for hatching the eggs and che- 

 rishing the young. The royal chamber, occupied by 

 the king and queen, appears to be, in the opinion of 

 this little people, of the most consequence, being 

 always situated as near the centre of the interior 

 building as possible. It is always nearly in the shape 

 of half an egg, or an obtuse oval, within, and may be 

 supposed to represent a long oven. In the infantstat.e 

 of the colony, it is but about an inch in length ; but 

 in time will be increased to six or eight inches, or 

 more, in the clear, being always in proportion to the 

 size of the queen, who, increasing in bulk as in age, 

 at length requires a chamber of such dimensions. 



Queen distended with eggs. 



Its floor is perfectly horizontal, and, in large 

 hillocks, sometimes more than an inch thick of solid 

 clay. The roof, also, which is one solid and well- 

 turned oval arch, is generally of about the same 

 solidity, but in some places it is not a quarter of an 

 inch thick, on the sides where it joins the floor, and 

 where the doors or entrances are made level with it, 

 at nearly equal distances from each other. These 

 entrances will not admit any animal larger than the 

 soldiers or labourers ; so that the king and the queen 



