IXTI.-IIXAL PROTOZOA OF TERMITES. 2OJ 



reaction which appears inside the bodies of the wood-ingesting 

 protozoa when treated with iodine in a solution of potassium 

 iodide, is, perhaps, sufficient evidence to show that the protozoa 

 rt a di.^e-tive action on the wood particles which they take 

 into their bodie-, fr after the host has been fed cellulose (What- 

 man's filter p.. i per. Vide infra] for three months ^lyco-en is 

 still pre-ent in the bodies of the protozoa and it cannot be demon- 

 strated nw. or at .my time, in any of the cells of the host. The 

 cellnlo-e i - probably split into cellobiose, the cellobio>e into 

 gln< o-e, 1'ri'in whifh the glycogen is formed. The fact that no 

 glycogen i- pre-ent in the intestinal protozoa which do not in^e-t 

 the v.o.,,1 p.irti< le- op the cellulose particles, nor in the rells of 

 the ho-t , iin lie. ite~ -irongly that the glycogen is formed inside the 

 bodic- of the proto/oa that do ingest the wood particle- or cellu- 

 |Mitiil- .nid that these protozoa are responsible for it- 

 fonnation. The intestine of the host is slightly alkaline (pi 1 7 

 which \\oiild make acid hydrolysis impossible. The cellul' 

 tin ii, must be acted upon by enzymes. 



1 1 has n a possible to demonstrate the presence of fat- 



in the bodies of the protozoa, though the presence of fats in the 

 inieMin.il and other cells of the host may be easily demonstrated. 

 I . i unites which receive a fluid diet from other member- of 

 the colony accumulate an abundance of fat. 



It i- highly possible that the protozoa are dependent on their 

 ho-t for proteins, since they live much longer on a cellul' 

 inorganic culture medium to which proteins have been added. 



In -ind\ini; many of the termites of Japan, Oshima (. I<H 

 came to the conclusion that a preference was e-- 1 in favor 



of those vo>ods containing a high percentage of cellulo-e. II. is 

 of the opinion that cellulose is the only constituent of \\ood which 

 termite- n-e as food. This opinion is based on the lollowin^ 

 perinient which he carried out. Camphor \\<\ was analyzed 

 an. I fed to ( 'nptotermes formosamis; the nest which was constructed 

 after the wood had been eaten was anali/ed. .ind it was noted 

 that tin chief difference between the camphor wood and the nest 

 \\.ts in the cellulose-lignin ratio. The wood contained 4* per 

 cent, of cellulose and 20 per cent, of lignin (C 4 oH 44 Oi5 Beckmann, 

 I'_M) while the nest contained 15 per cent, cellulose and 57 per 

 cent, lignin. The method by which these percentages were ob- 



