I SOFT ERA 



279 



wood ; and others that burrow in the ground extend their nests into 

 wood. To the last category- 

 belong the species of the genus 

 Reticulitermes, which includes 

 all of the termites found north 

 of Georgia and east of Nevada. 

 These often infest the founda- 

 tion timbers of buildings, floor- 

 ing in basements, and other 

 woodwork of buildings and 

 furniture. These pests will 

 feed upon almost any organic 

 matter; books are sometimes 

 completely ruined by them. 

 In infesting anything com- 

 posed of wood, they eat out 

 the interior, leaving a thin film 

 on the outside. Thus a table 

 may appear to be soiind, but 

 crumble to pieces beneath a 

 slight weight, entrance having 

 been made through the floor of 

 the house and the legs of the 

 table. 



While termites infest 

 chiefly dead wood, there are 

 many records of their infesting 

 living plants. I foimd them 

 common throughout Florida, 

 infesting orange-trees, guava- 

 bushes, pampas-grass, and su- 

 gar-cane. When termites in- 

 fest living plants, they attack that part which is at or just below the 

 surface of the groimd. In the case of pampas-grass the base of the 

 stalk is hollowed; with woody plants, as orange-trees and guava 

 bushes, the bark at the base of the tree is eaten and frequently the 

 tree is completely girdled; with sugar-cane the most serious injury 

 is the destruction of the seed-cane. 



Certain African termites have been found to cultivate fimgus- 

 gardens in their nests, similar to those of the well-known leaf-cutting 

 ants. 



The care of the young and of the queens by the workers in colonies 

 of social insects has attracted the attention and admiration of observ- 

 ers in all times. This care has been quite generally attributed to 

 something resembling the parental feelings of our own species. But 

 the observations of several naturalists in recent years have shown 

 that with the social insects the devotion of the workers to the brood 

 and to the queen is far from being purely altruistic ; that it is largely 

 or entirely due to a desire to feed upon certain exudates produced by 



Fig- 315- — Nest of a Cuban termite. 



