NATURALIST IN BRAZIL 



The soldiers of the Eutermes family, to which those termites belong 

 that build spherical nests of black papier-mache in the trees, have 

 quite a different appearance. They have no pincer-like mandibles; 

 but the front of the head is drawn into a point, giving the insect 

 a most singular appearance (Fig. 35). A corrosive mucus appears 

 to be secreted by the spike or "nose," and if one angers a community 

 of such termites the result is a mass attack of the "Natsuti" ; one 

 is simply overrun by the insects, which cause an unpleasant irritation 



all over one's body. The soldiers of these 

 termites often give the workers an encour- 

 aging dig with their proboscis, in order to 

 spur them to greater diligence, and in general 

 they act as a kind of police-force. 



Let us now examine the interior of a 

 termites' nest. Here is a great lump of the 

 trunk of a tree (Plate 30) ; we will try to 

 detach it, working from the edge. First we 

 break away a thin covering layer ; under this 

 is a second layer, equally brittle, which 

 contains a number of round cells. Adjoin- 

 ing these are the dwelling proper and the 

 brood-chambers of the community. We find 

 small chambers which shelter the larger 

 larvae, and others which serve as store- 

 rooms. The fourth stratum contains flattened 

 cells for the younger larvae and the eggs, 

 and from this, by means of galleries which 

 traverse the whole nest, the central and 

 most vital portion of the nest is reached. 

 This may be recognized by the very solid 

 wall which has to be broken through; it is like a central kernel 

 (Fig. 36, V). In the midst of this kernel is the royal chamber, a 

 large, flattened cell with a domed roof. 



From this centre the life of the community radiates ; from this 

 centre it is renewed. For in the royal chamber lives the queen, the 

 fruitful female. Anyone who sees her for the first time will be amazed 

 by her extraordinary form (Fig. 37). To begin with, her size is im- 

 pressive, for compared with the other termites she seems a very 

 giantess. But her shape is even more singular. The fat white body 

 is the monstrously dilated abdomen, grotesquely swollen by the 

 masses of eggs that fill it and are constantly being removed. On 

 328 



Fig. 36. — Schematic re- 

 presentation of a nest 

 of Eutermes Rippertii 

 (in section) 



I. Covering layer; II. 

 Stratum of small cells ; 



III. Stratum of larger 

 cells, for fungus-heds, and 

 the larger, winged larvae ; 



IV. Stratum of flattened 

 cells for eggs and brood ; 



V. Queen's cell. {After 

 Holmgren) 



