21 ^ [Skpt. 



by Mr, S. to W the ''food." It is very moist, and appears to be vegetable sub- 

 stance, comminuted and reduced to this state by the insect. 



Between the royal apartments and nurseries, is the first floor of Smeafhman ; 

 immediately above the ma^razines, is the second, then comes the "dome," a large 

 cavity in the upper part of the structure. With the dome there is a communica- 

 tion by nmriprous passa>;ps with the different parts of the hill, and thus a free cir- 

 culation of warm air krpt up, giving a uniform temperature to thedomicil. The 

 principles of philosophy known in the tendency of air to an eijuiiibrium, its ascent 

 when rarihed, condensation and descent iu coming in contact with a colder me- 

 dium, thus securing a uniformity of temperature, are all involved in this peculi- 

 arity of structure. 



The statement of Dr. Smeathman respecting the primary size and subsequent 

 mode of increase of the royal apartments, is a matter of deduction, though wn- 

 doubtedly correct. In small hills the queen is Ibunrl of corresponding size. As 

 the hills increase, the size ot the queen and her apartments are known to increase. 

 The adjacent portions must be taken down to meet this enlargement. This is 

 true also of otncr portions of the structure. As the outer projections, or turrets, 

 are sent up from within, and the intervening spaces filled out, a portion of what 

 was previously the exterior, must be removed to admit of the expansion of the inte- 

 rior arrangements, the nurseries, magazine?, &c. This change and removal must 

 be more or less true also, of almost all parts of the domicil. 



The community was divided by Smeathman into three orders ; 1st, the workers, 

 2d, soldiers, 3d, the perfect insects, male and female, or king and queen ; a fourth 

 order, or state was subsequently noticed by Latreille among another species in 

 the south of France, at Bordeaux, (Termes lucifigus). It was afterwards observ- 

 ed in the East Indies, and incidentally noticed by an anonymous writer in manu- 

 script on a Ceylonese species (Kirby and Spence"s Introduct., 2d vol. .'j.'i p.) This 

 was the nympha or pupa state of the u-nr/.eis, in which rudimental wings were 

 observed. The same state was inferred and averred of T. fatalis, by Messrs. 

 Kirby and Spence, and adopted by compilers. I have never known this inference 

 to be confirmed by any observer, writing on the African species; but, I am 

 happy in beinir able to assert the fact from personal observation, and, further- 

 more, to declare the sa^ne of the soldiers. I have seen both with rudimental 

 wings distinct. Messrs. Kirby and Spence suppose the piip.-e to be equally active 

 with their respective larvae, which is not the case; they are exceedingly delicate 

 and sluggish. 



Of these several orders, the laborers are by far the most numerous. They 

 seem to be susceptible of two divisions — larger and sma/Ur laborers. The latter 

 exceed the former in numbers, and are found chiefly in the domicil. The work 

 about the hill, such as constructing, repairing, bearing away the eggs from the 

 maternal department, &c,, seems to be done by them. Of the larger size, some 

 few are found in the hill, but they exist in greater numbers in the covered ways, 

 about and in, the objects of plunder. The mandibles of this division are very 

 hard and strong, and admirably adapted to the perfornr.ance of what I suppose to 

 be their part in the community, which is the comminuting of the different kinds 

 of wood on which they prey, and the reducing of the clay from which their hills 

 are made, to a portable condition, A like division of labor I have noticed among 

 the Driver ants of Africa, ( Anomma arcens, and A. rubella) . Messrs. Kirby and 

 Spence are incorrect when they say (Introduct., 2d vol., p. 40-11,) that "they 



