BLACK TERMITE OF CEYLON. 407 



evening, and homeward, laden with food, in the morning— yet 

 it is ahvays possible to find several individuals going the 

 opposite way. Even before the column has reached the foot 

 of the tree in which the nest is situated, some of the workers 

 will be found retummg homewards. On several occasions I 

 have seen these contrary individuals turned back by the 

 soldiers, and one gains the impression that the worker recognizes 

 that it must keep to the track, but cannot recognize differences 

 in direction ; if it happens, by some accident, to turn round, 

 it proceeds along the track in the reverse direction until stopped 

 by a soldier, even though it is continually running up against 

 its fellow -workers who are proceeding in the right direction. 



The chief enemy of the black termite is the large red ant, 

 Oecophylla sm.aragdina. I have never seen birds attack the 

 procession ; and hence, as birds eagerly devour the winged 

 individuals at least of other species, it seems probable that the 

 black termite is in some way unpalatable. The red ant may 

 always be found hovering on the flanks of the column, ready 

 to pick off an unprotected worker at the first opportunity. 

 But they are mortally afraid of the soldier, and it is quite 

 ludicrous to see the big red ant make a dash at the column, 

 only to retreat as fast as possible when encountered by the 

 much smaller black soldier. I have never witnessed an actual 

 engagement between the two, and it does not seem probable 

 that the soldier could inflict any serious injury by its bite. 

 When the nest is broken open, and the comb handled, the 

 soldiers do not bite, but the workers do ; and the bite of the 

 latter is so weak that it is only felt when they attack the 

 tenderest places, e.g., between the fingers. Bugnion has shown 

 that the horn of the soldier is hollow and communicates with 

 a gland in the head, and he suggests that the secretion of this 

 gland affords the means of defence. It is, however, not 

 possible to detect any ejection of liquid from the head, though 

 that is a common phenomenon in the case of the soldiers of 

 many other species. Whatever the means of defence may be, 

 it is extremely efficient ; and, as far as observations go, very 

 few of the workers fall victims to Oecophylla. 



In order to avoid the attacks of the red ant, the black termite, 

 on its foraging expeditions, keeps in the open as far as possible, 



