the Termites of Africa and other- hot climates. 187 
out-works, the labourers keep barricadoing all the, way pgainfl 11s, 
flopping up the different galleries and .paffijges which lead to the 
various apartments, particularly the royal' chamber, all the en- 
trances to which they fill up fir artfully as not to let it be diftin** 
guifhable wdiile it remains moift ; and externally it has no other 
appearance than that of a fhapelefs lump otclay It is, however, 
eafily found from its fituation with refpedt to the other parts of 
the building, and by the crouds of labourers and foldiers which 
furround it, who fhew their loyalty and fidelity by dying un- 
der its walls. The royal chamber in a large iiefL is capacious 
enough to hold many hundreds of the attendants, . befides th^ 
royal pair, and you always find it as full of them as, it cm 
hold. Thefe faithful fubjefts never abandon their charge 
even in the laid diftrefs ; for whenever I took out the royal 
chamber, and, as J 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 utmoft folicitude, 
fome of them flopping on every circuit at th^ head of the latter, 
as if to give her fome thing. When they came to the extre- 
mity of the abdomen, they took the eggs from her, and carriec} 
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 mofi convenient for the purpple. T r 
- s V . ... V> Xu w ... L, 
( 4 6 ) In tab. VIII. fig. 2. and 4. the entrances of the royal chamber, f now ,exhi- 
bited, are reprefented open. They were alf fhut by the labourers before I ha cl 
got to it, and were opened ^fiticeT ’arrived iif ^England, Two or three of t hem, 
however, -ai%%ot quit^opeft lh t'he. chamber itfelf, and thatnekt the b, reach at A, 
and marked .with a crofs (g, t is? flill Ueft fiiut, ' as a fpecimen of the manner in 
which they: do it. I have alfo in, ore royal- chanjbers and various fp^cimen| of the 
interior buildings, with feveral galleries 4 and palfages, Ihut up while. vve were 
attacking the neft. " • ‘ ' 
;d : ' B b . r... )ir: : ■ Som : e 
