the Termites 0/* ’Africa and other hot Climates. 
Beavers,, and ail other animals which I have ever heard of, in 
the arts of building,: as much as the Europeans excel the leaf! 
cultivated favages. It is more than probable they excel them 
as much in fagacity and. the- arts of government ; it is certain 
they drew more fubBantial inBances of their ingenuity and 
induBry than any other animals ; and do in fad lay up vaB maga- 
zines of. provifions and other- Bores.; a degree of prudence 
which has of late years been denied, perhaps without reafon, to 
the Ants CO. „ 
Such however are the extraordinary' circumBances attending 
their oeconomy and fagacity, that it is difficult to determine, 
whether they are more worthy* of the attention of the curious 
and intelligent part of mankind on thefe accounts, - * or from 
the ruinous confequences. of their depredations, which have 
defer vedly procured them the name of Fat alls or Definition 
As this is the cafe, -it is a little furprifing that an accurate 
natural hiBory of. thefe wonderful infeds has not been 
attempted long fince ; efpecially as; according to bosman (who* 
wrote the beginning of this century) in his defcription of the 
CoaB of Guinea, fome curious cicumBances relative to themt 
muB have been known. According to that gentleman, the 
King was fuppofed to be as large as a Cray-fifh (A .This, thought 
a. bad comparifon, is pretty near the truth in refped to the fiz© 
of the female, who is the Common HvToiher of the community 3 
0 ) Though Ants have nooccalion to lay up ilores for winter in cold climates, 
they certainly muft and do carry great quantities of provifions into their neftsto* 
feed the young orood j and moil probably provide fome before hand for fear of* 
accidents, which might be fatal to the young ones, who, like all infers in the. 
«_aterpillar flate, are very voracious, .and cannot bear difappointments of long., 
duration. 
00 bosman.V Guinea, p, 260, 
T '4-- dndy. 
