_Termites_ or white ants abound; while in regard to mere size, Mr.
Smeathman calculates that, supposing a man's ordinary height to be six
feet, the nests of these creatures may be considered, relative to their
size and that of man's, as being raised to four times the height of the
largest Egyptian pyramids."

"That is enormous, Uncle Thomas?"

"It is indeed, Frank; but strange though it is, the interior of the nest
is even more remarkable, many parts of its construction falling little
short of human ingenuity. I need not attempt to describe all its
arrangements, which, without a plan, would be nearly unintelligible; but
there is one device so admirable that I must point it out to you. The
nest is formed of two floors, as it were, and all round the walls are
galleries perforated in various winding directions, and leading to the
store-houses of the colony, or to the nurseries where the eggs are
deposited. As it is sometimes convenient to reach the galleries which
open from the upper roof without threading all the intricacies of these
winding passages, they construct bridges of a single arch, and thus at
once reach the upper roof, from which these diverge. They are thus also
saved much labour, in transporting provisions, and in bearing the eggs
to the places where they remain till they are hatched."

"That is indeed admirable, Uncle Thomas; they must be very curious
animals."

"They are divided into various classes, in the same way as bees; choosing
a queen, and some of them acting as workers, &c. But the white ants have
a class to which there is nothing similar among any other race of
insects. These are what Smeathman calls soldiers, from the duties which