e completely covered with nests, crowded one against
another, and you will have a tolerably accurate idea of these singular
edifices.

"Each individual nest is three or four inches in diameter, which is
sufficient for the bird. But as they are all in contact with one
another, around the eaves, they appear to the eye to form but one
building, and are distinguishable from each other only by a little
external aperture, which serves as an entrance to the nest; and even
this is sometimes common to three different nests, one of which is
situated at the bottom, and the other two at the sides. According to
Paterson, the number of cells increasing in proportion to the increase
of inhabitants, the old ones become 'streets of communication, formed by
line and level.' No doubt, as the republic increases, the cells must be
multiplied also; but it is easy to imagine that, as the augmentation can
take place only at the surface, the new buildings will necessarily cover
the old ones, which must therefore be abandoned.

"Should these even, contrary to all probability, be able to subsist, it
may be presumed that the depth of their situation, by preventing any
circulation and renewal of the air, would render them so extremely hot
as to be uninhabitable. But while they thus become useless, they would
remain what they were before, real nests, and change neither into
streets nor sleeping-rooms.

"The large nest which I examined was one of the most considerable which
I had seen any where on my journey, and contained three hundred and
twenty inhabited cells."

"Well, Uncle Thomas, that is very curious; I don't know which most to
admire. I rather incline to the beaver however, because of the winter
store of food which he lays up."

"There is another animal which displays the building instinct so
remarkably, that I must tell you something about it before we part."

"Which is it, Uncle Thomas?"

"It is the white ant of Africa; it is a little animal, scarcely, if at
all, exceeding in size those of our own country, yet they construct
large nests of a conical or sugar loaf shape, sometimes from ten to
twelve feet in height; and one species builds them so strong and
compact, that even when they are raised to little more than half their
height, the wild-bulls of the country use them as sentinel posts to
watch over the safety of the herd which grazes below.

"Mr. Smeathman, a naturalist fully capable to do justice to the nature
of these erecti