Natural history of insects : comprising their architecture, transformations, senses, food, habits--collection, preservation and arrangement . WHITE ANTS. 301 bitants to travel over with more safety.^ or else, v/hichis not improbable, worn by frequent treacling, Turret-Building White Ants. Apparently more than one species, smaller thanthe preceding, such as the Termcs mordax and of Smeathraan, construct nests of a very dif-ferent form, the figures of which resemble a pillar,with a large mushroom for a capital. These turretsare composed of well-tempered black earth, andstand nearly three
Natural history of insects : comprising their architecture, transformations, senses, food, habits--collection, preservation and arrangement . WHITE ANTS. 301 bitants to travel over with more safety.^ or else, v/hichis not improbable, worn by frequent treacling, Turret-Building White Ants. Apparently more than one species, smaller thanthe preceding, such as the Termcs mordax and of Smeathraan, construct nests of a very dif-ferent form, the figures of which resemble a pillar,with a large mushroom for a capital. These turretsare composed of well-tempered black earth, andstand nearly three feet high. The conical mush-room-shaped roof is composed of the same material,and the brims hang over the column, being three offour inches wider than its perpendicular sides. Mostof them, says Smeathman, resemble in shape thebody of a round windmill, but some of the roofshave little elevation in the middle. When one ofthese turrets is completed, the insects do not after-wards enlarge or alter it; but if it be found too small. Tanrt ?>\its cf pJ Ji ,r (nt-. ( wo Sc-X Is rppie-bcntri! cut Ihrou^h, wilh vol. IV. jG 302 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. for them, they lay the foundation of another at a {ewinches distance. They sometimes, but not often, be-gin the second before the first is finished, and a thirdbefore they have completed the second. Five or sixof these singular turrets in a group may be seen inthe thick woods at the foot of a tree. They are sovery strongly built, that in case of violence, they willsooner tear up the gravel and solid heart of theirfoundation than break in the middle. When any ofthem happen to be thus thrown down, the insectsdo not abandon them; but, using their overturnedcolumn, as a basis, they run up another perpendicu-larly from it, to the usual height, fastenhig the underpart at the same time to the ground, to render it them,ore secure. The interior of a turret is pretty equally dividedinto innumerable cells, irregular in shape, but usuallymore or less a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookidnaturalhistoryof01bos, booksubjectinsects
