WHITE ANTS. 
181 
CHAPTER XVI. 
WHITE ANTS. BENARES. INFANTICIDE. 
During our stay at Juanpoor, we were so annoyed 
by white ants, that we were glad to escape from 
this intolerable nuisance and proceed on our way to 
Benares. These extraordinary insects are one of the 
greatest marvels in natural history. They are the 
most destructive creatures of their size in the universe. 
Nothing but stone or metal can resist their powers of 
devastation. They will pass through a whole shelf of 
books in an incredibly short space of time. In a 
single night they will make their way into a strong 
wooden trunk, and ruin everything it contains. I 
have known them perforate a thick stake of at least 
ten inches in diameter, leaving nothing but the bark 
entire, so that what appeared strong enough to support 
a large building, crumbled at the touch like a piece of 
tinder. They abound more or less in every part of 
India, though they prefer a soil where clay is readily 
to be obtained, as they use vast quantities in the 
construction of their populous habitations. One of 
their cantonments will cover a surface of at least 
fifty square yards, and rises sometimes to the height 
of twenty feet. In particular districts these are so 
numerous, that they appear like small villages in 
R 
