Glimpses of the animate world; or, Science and literature of natural history, for school and home . ape, and frequentlyadorned with turrets. These structures are so solid thatthe wild cattle often climb upon them without crushingtheir walls. The interiors are divided into chambers, withgalleries, that often extend many feet under ground. A vil-lage consisting of the dwellings of the termites presents avery remarkable appearance, and it is almost impossible tobelieve that it is the work of so diminutive an man to build as high proportionally, his structureswould be five times as hig
Glimpses of the animate world; or, Science and literature of natural history, for school and home . ape, and frequentlyadorned with turrets. These structures are so solid thatthe wild cattle often climb upon them without crushingtheir walls. The interiors are divided into chambers, withgalleries, that often extend many feet under ground. A vil-lage consisting of the dwellings of the termites presents avery remarkable appearance, and it is almost impossible tobelieve that it is the work of so diminutive an man to build as high proportionally, his structureswould be five times as high as the pyramids of Egypt. 6. Another variety of termites do not build for them-selves, but take possession of human habitations. Fromtheir galleries under ground they make their way into 130 NATURAL HISTORY READER. dwellings in myriads. They do not appear to the sight,but eat their way into the wood through tiny holes whichwould be scarcely observable even by minute inside, they literally eat up tiie whole woody fiber,leaving nothing but a thin outside shell. The posts, the. Warrior Termites. beams, the rafters of the houses, and every wooden thingconnected with them, share the same fate. To the eyeeverything seems right, but suddenly the whole collapseslike the Deacons one-horse shay, nothing remaining butdust, and the uneaten wafer-like surface of the wood. 7. In Sierra Leone, after a short absence from home, QUEER LITTLE FOLKS. 131 the owner will return and find only the ghosts of furnitureremaining, which disappear at the first rude touch. A?whole staircase is destroyed in two weeks, and tables, chairs,and book-cases in much less time. In Southern France,where the termites have lately made their appearance, pa-pers and clothing have to be protected in metal safes asagainst burglars. On one occasion the wooden supports ofa dining-room were eaten through, and the flooring gaveway while a party were dining, much to the derangementof the dinner and to the c
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