the Termites of Africa and other hot climates . 187 
out- works, the labourers keep barricadoing all the way againft us, 
flopping up the different galleries and paffages which lead to the 
various apartments, particularly the royal chamber, all the en- 
trances to which they fill up fo artfully as not to let it be diffin- 
guifhabie while it remains moift ; and externally it has no other 
appearance than that of a fhapelefs lump of clay<d 6 ). It is, however, 
eafily found from its fituation with refpeff to the other parts of 
the building, and by the crouds of labourers and foldiers which 
furround it, who fhew their lojralty and fidelity by dying un- 
der its walls. The royal chamber in a large iieft is capacious 
enough to hold many hundreds of the attendants, befides the 
royal pair, and you always find it as full of them as it can 
hold. Thefe faithful fubjefts never abandon their charge 
even in the lafl diflrefs ; for whenever I took out the royal 
chamber, and, as I often did, preferved it for fome time in a 
large glafs bowl, all the attendants continued running in one 
dire&ion round the king and queen with the utmofl folicitude, 
fome of them flopping on every circuit at the head of the latter, 
as if to give her fomething. When they came to the extre- 
mity of the abdomen, they took the eggs from her, and carried 
them away, and piled them carefully together in fome part of 
the chamber, or in the bowl under, or behind any pieces of 
broken clay which lay mofl convenient for the purpofe. 
(4 6 ) In tab. VIII. fig. 2 . and 4. the entrances of the royal chamber, now exhi- 
bited, are represented open. They were all Ihut by the labourers before I had 
got to it, and were opened fince I arrived in England. Two or three of them, 
however, are not quite open in the chamber itfelf, and that next the breach at A, 
and marked with a crofs ©, is Hill left (hut, as a fpecimen of the manner in 
which they do it. I have alfo more royal chambers and various fpecimens of the 
interior buildings, with feveral galleries and paffages, Ihut up while we were 
attacking the neft. 
B b 2 
Some 
