Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/284

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��Popular Science Monthly

���As the photograph shows this huge ant-hill

has been deserted by its original occupants

to make room for two-legged inhabitants

An Ant-Heap as a Look-out Station

ONE of the most destructive of African insects is the white ant. This strange little creature, well under an inch in length, erects huge heaps in which to dwell. In some places, particularly in the Congo, these heaps convert an otherwise flat country into a hilly one. They rise from twenty to fifty feet and more in height. In- variably they are crowned with several l)amboo trees, which often attain a height of another thirty to forty feet. Then the heaps are often covered with beautiful ferns and the choicest of wild tropical flowers.

The ants themselves are most de- structive, demolishing everything ex- cept iron and steel. They go about in vast armies, and in a single night the damage they will do is almost in- credible. They will enter huts or tents and attack everything that is not made of iron. Curiously enough, they only destroy that portion of the object that is not exposed to the air. For instance, they eat away the soles of boots, leav- ing the uppers standing in their place. It is only when you come to

��pick up the object that you find it has been destroyed. The photograph de- picts a deserted ant heap in the Congo which the surveyors converted into a look-out station.

Living In a Tree Stump

IN the big timber section of the Pacific Northwest many huge fir and cedar stumps are to be found, reduced to mere shells through the action of fire or rot. Some of these stumps measure twelve feet in diameter.

The pioneers of this region often util- ized these hollow stumps for cattle shel- ters, storage rooms or even as dwellings for short periods. If open to the sky, a roof of "shakes" was put on, which kept the interior dry. Open fires could be used, as the huge stumps acted as chimneys, creating an excellent draught.

The accompanying photograph shows a big Washington cedar, in which four men lived for over two months some forty years ago. They were engaged in building a home for one of the party, who is pictured standing beside the stump, wbich he has carefully preserved.

���Four men lived for two months in this tree stump while building a permanent home

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