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146

against their numerous enemies. Their num bets make some amends for the vast destruction the race undergoes. It often happens, after the first tornado, that the surface of the earth, and even the waters, are covered with them; yet, in a few hours, scarcely one in a thousand is to be found, that has not lost one or more of its wings. And it is probable, that not more than one pair in several millions, escapes the pursuit of ants, birds, reptiles, or men ; for in Africa they form an article of food. A few, however, are preserved in safety, to lay the foundation of new colonies. A pair of these being found, by some of the labouring insects that are wandering about the surface of the ground, they hail these fortunate ones as their king and queen, and prepare for their security, by immediately enclosing them in a small chamber of clay, adapted to their size; leaving, at first, but one small entrance, just large enough for themselves and the soldiers to pass, but much too small for either of the royal pair to escape: and, when occasion requires it, they increase the number of the entrances, but not their size. So that the same instinct which directs all creatures to the preservation of their kind, incites these labourers to voluntarily undertake time task of providing and defending the parents of a future progeny.

The


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