A NATURALIST IN BRAZIL 



skinned insects. On account of their colour they are often called 

 "White Ants," but this description is misleading; the Termites are 

 quite unrelated to the Ants, but are rather relatives of the Cock- 

 roaches. The difference between them is seen most plainly in their 

 mode of development. In the case of the Ants, a grub-like larva 

 emerges from the egg, and grows through several moults until it 

 pupates ; then, from the pupa, crawls the mature insect. In the case 

 of the Termites the larva which creeps out of the egg already 

 resembles the adult insect; it has six legs, and only the wings are 

 lacking. These, however, do not make their appearance suddenly, 

 but are susceptible even in the young larvae, and grow larger with 

 every moult. Since the worker termites have no wings, they resemble 

 the larvae; one may therefore regard them as immature forms 

 whose development has been arrested. Unlike the 

 worker bees and ants, the termite workers are of 

 both sexes. 



But among the Termites too the workers are the 



soul of the nest, and its real rulers. They are its 



architects; it is they who bring in the food; they 



feed all the other forms of citizens ; they guard and 



P _ tend the eggs, and keep the nest clean. Accordingly, 



mite Soldier they constitute the greater part of the population of 



(Termes in- the termitary. And even the maintenance of the 



?"^ ^^\"^ numerical strength of this population is left to them. 



It is within their power to turn worker larvae into 



sexual forms if the nest has need of more males and females ; it is also 



within their power to transform the larvae of sexual insects into workers 



before they have completed their development. If there is an excess 



of any form of termite a radical remedy is applied : the surplus 



insects are eaten, or simply killed. 



As far as we know, it is the food that determines the development 

 of this or that form of termite. It has even been ascertained that the 

 intestinal parasites of the termites play a certain part in their develop- 

 ment ; it has been found that in the adult termites these are numerous, 

 whereas they are lacking in the larvae which are being reared as 

 sexual reserves ; so that it seems as though their presence hinders 

 the development of the organs of generation. By feeding the larvae 

 on pure saliva the termites are able to prevent the appearance of 

 parasites in their intestines, and as a result the generative organs 

 are enabled to develop. 



The nest is defended by the soldiers (Fig. 34). One makes the 

 326 



