464 
WHITE ANTS. 
Chap. XXIII. 
snails at home do; and in the evenings the white ants swarm by 
thousands. A stream of them is seen to rush out of a hole, and, 
after flying one or two hundred yards, they descend; and if they 
light upon a piece of soil proper for the commencement of a new 
colony, they bend up their tails, unhook their wings, and, lea^dng 
them on the surface, quicldy begin their mining operations. If an 
attempt is made to separate the wings from the body by ch’avdng 
them away backwards, they seem as if hooked into the body, and 
tear away large portions of the insect; but if turned forward, as 
the ant itself does, they snap off with the greatest ease. Indeed 
they seem formed only to serve the insect in its short flight to a 
new habitation, and then to be throTO aside. Nothing can exceed 
the eagerness with which at the proper time they rush out from 
then’ birthplace. Occasionally this occm^s in a house, and then, 
in order to prevent every corner from being filled with them, 
I have seen a fire placed over the orifice; but they hesitate not 
even to pass tlirough the fire. While swarming they appear like 
snow-flakes floating about in the air, and dogs, cats, hawks, and 
almost every bird, may be seen busily devouring them. The 
natives, too, profit by the occasion, and actively collect them for 
food, they being about half an inch long, as tliick as a crowqufll, 
and very fat. When roasted they are said to be good, and some¬ 
what resemble grains of boiled rice. An idea may be formed of 
this dish by what once occurred on the banlvs of the Zouga. The 
Bayeiye chief Palani visitmg us while eating, I gave him a piece 
of bread and preserved apricots; and as he seemed to relish it 
much, I asked liim if he had any food equal to that in liis country. 
Ah,” said he, did you ever taste white ants ?” As I never had, 
he rephed, “ Well, if you had, you never could have desired to eat 
anytliing better.” The general way of catcliing them is to dig 
into the ant-liiU, and wait till all the builders come forth to repau’ 
the damage; then brush them off quickly into a vessel, as the 
ant-eater does into his mouth. 
The fall of the rain makes aU the cattle look fresh and clean, 
and both men and women proceed cheerily to their affeady hoed 
gardens, and sow the seed. The large animals in the country 
leave the spots where they had been compelled to congregate for 
the sake of water, and become much wilder. Occasionally a herd 
of buffaloes or antelopes smell rain from afar, and set off in a 
