TERMITES, THE DESTROYERS 85 



(Figs. 38, 39) of clay out on the plains, until the 

 plain looks like an Indian encampment. These 

 last may stand as high as a man's head. 



All of them avoid light, moist air, and wind. 

 They have lived under shelter for so long that 

 their skins are thin and sensitive like a child's 

 that has been too long indoors, and they are 

 nearly or quite blind. The soldiers would not 

 be able to protect their colonies without the help 

 of the strong nests. We have already seen that 

 birds and anteaters feed on them. Ants are an 

 even more terrible enemy. ,^ 



Sometimes ants come into the termite nest and 

 live there. The termites let the ants have the 

 center of the nest and they themselves go off to 

 the outer rooms. Sometimes they may live in 

 the same nest without disturbing each other, but 

 if they come in each other's way there is a 

 vigorous battle. 



I broke into a half -rotted log one day and found 

 part of the tunnels through it taken by ants and 

 part by termites. They might have been living 

 peacefully before, but both were excited by having 

 their runways broken open and the ants began 

 to stalk the termites. They ran up close to the 

 termites and made a dive at them with their 

 long jaws, which I could distinctly hear cHck as 

 they closed. Usually the first attempt was made 

 from too great a distance. Then the ant would 

 stop, take another start, and grab again. On 



