INTESTINAL PROTOZOA OF TERMITES. 1 93 



defined from the rest of the body. Cutler (1921) could not locate 

 a definite glycogen reacting area in Pseudotrichonympha pristina, 

 harbored by Archotermopsis wroughtoni, but, on the contrary, 

 found that the glycogenic reaction was diffused through the en- 

 tire organism. Grassi and Foa (1911) state that they in part 

 attempted to verify the work of Buscalioni and Comes but that 

 their results did not justify the drawing of any conclusions. 



Dobell (1921) says: "'When the association benefits both part- 

 ies, the condition is one of symbiosis a not very frequent state 

 in nature. An example is afforded by some of the flagellates 

 living in termites. In return for the food and lodging which the 

 termite gives to the flagellate, the latter helps the former digest 

 its own food." Regarding this statement Dobell (I922) 1 says: 

 "It is merely a general statement of my own personal view. It 

 is not based on any particular experiments which I have made, 

 but is an inference from what I myself have observed and others 

 have recorded. For many reasons I consider it probable that the 

 flagellates of termites aid their host in digesting the wood on which 

 they feed. The observations of Buscalioni and Comes (1910) 

 and of Imms (1919) especially seem to me to justify such a con- 

 clusion. 



"However I am quite ready to admit that the matter has not 

 been definitely settled beyond all question. In fact I recently 

 discussed the problem with I >r. Koid/umi and we planned 

 several experiments to determine the question. . . ." 



/{. OKK.INAI. OBSERVATIONS. 



At best some of the experiments of Buscalioni and Comes (1910) 

 were conducted in a rather crude manner and, in addition to this, 

 unwarranted conclusions were drawn due, often, to misinterpre- 

 tation of the results obtained. The only conclusion which may be 

 drawn from the results of their experiments is, that the protozoa 

 digest the wood which they take into their bodies. But the fact 

 that the protozoa digest the wood in no way hinders the termite 

 from doing the same thing. Many animals ingest more food than 

 they can use. The protozoa may feed from the wood particles 

 in the termite's intestine, as one would naturally expect them to 

 do, since nutrition with most of them appears to be holozoic. 



1 Personal communication. 



