black termite of ceylon. 413 



Food. 



Lichens form the staple food of Termes monoceros. Ap- 

 parently they prefer algse, but the supply of the latter is small in 

 comparison with the extensive growths of lichen in the Tropics. 

 Their procession usually terminates at a tree, or a group of 

 shrubs, covered with lichens. Obviously it would appear that, 

 in the Tropics, where every tree is more or less clothed with 

 lichens, it would not much matter which tree the termites 

 selected as their feeding ground ; but in reality the problem 

 is not quite so simple as it seems. True the termites do not 

 confine themselves to any particular species of lichen ; but on 

 the other hand they only consume lichens of a particular type, 

 or in a particular stage of development. Lichens which are 

 furnished with a tough smooth cortex are avoided, only those 

 of a looser texture, in which the surface appears povvdery, 

 being attacked ; this excludes the foliaceous lichens, and 

 confines them to a few crustaceous species. 



Only on one occasion have these termites been observed 

 feeding on fungi alone. In September, 1912, the inhabitants 

 of one nest were found congregated upon the window frames 

 of the museum at Peradeniya, and an examination of their balls 

 of food proved that they were collecting the fungi which l^lacken 

 exposed wood in the tropics. These are apparently forms of 

 Clado^porium, but as a rule they consist only of creeping 

 hj^phse, either superficial or in the surface layer of the wood. 

 In the present instance no erect conidiophores were observable, 

 the only sign of the presence of the fungus being the superficial 

 blackening. The termites scraped off the outer layers, leavmg 

 the window sashes covered with light -coloured patches owing 

 to the exposure of the fungus-free wood below ; and the 

 examination of the food which was being carried home showed 

 that they had removed the thin layer of wood which contained 

 the mycelium of the fungus. The balls of food consisted of 

 small fragments of wood permeated by the hyphse of the 

 fungus. The fragments were only one cell thick, so thin that 

 the balls appeared almost white. In this case it was impossible 

 to obtain the fungus without taking the wood which contained 

 it. Obviouslv the excrement of this nest would contain traces 



