ed tight
against it, and again the builder descends underground for more. The
third grain is not placed against the tree, but against the former
grain; a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth follow, and the plan of the
foundation begins to suggest itself as soon as these are in position.
The stones or grains or pellets of earth are arranged in a
semicircular wall; the termite, now assisted by three or four others,
standing in the middle between the sheltering wall and the tree, and
working briskly with head and mandible to strengthen the position. The
wall in fact forms a small moon-rampart, and as it grows higher and
higher it soon becomes evident that it is going to grow from a low
battlement into a long perpendicular tunnel running up the side of the
tree. The workers, safely ensconced inside, are now carrying up the
structure with great rapidity, disappearing in turn as soon as they
have laid their stone, and rushing off to bring up another. The way in
which the building is done is extremely curious, and one could watch
the movement of these wonderful little masons by the hour. Each stone
as it is brought to the top is first of all covered with mortar. Of
course, without this the whole tunnel would crumble into dust before
reaching the height of half an inch; but the termite pours over the
stone a moist sticky secretion, turning the grain round and round with
its mandibles until the whole is covered with slime. Then it places
the stone with great care upon the top of the wall, works it about
vigorously for a moment or two till it is well jammed into its place,
and then starts off instantly for another load.

Peering over the growing wall, one soon discovers one, two, or more
termites of a somewhat larger build, considerably longer, and with a
very different arrangement of the parts of the head, and especially of
the mandibles. These important-looking individuals saunter about the
rampart in the most leisurely way, but yet with a certain air of
business, as if perhaps the one was the master of works and the other
the architect. But closer observation suggests that they are in no
wise superintending operations, nor in any immediate way contributing
to the structure, for they take not the slightest notice either of the
workers or the works. They are posted there in fact as sentries; and
there they stand, or promenade about, at the mouth of every tunnel,
like Sister Anne, to see if anybody is coming. Sometimes somebody does
co