NOTES OX THE LIFE-HI STORIES OF NATAL TERMITES. 123 



Winged imago is about 14 mm. long, and has a head- 

 breadth of 2" 6 mm. 



The soldiers are all of one size and the workers of two 

 sizes. 



The soldiers ars about 5 mm. long, head-bi*eadth, TB nnn. ; 

 the large workers are about 5 mm. long, and have a head- 

 breadth of 1"6 mm.; the small workers are 3-8 mm. long, and 

 head-breadth, Tl nnn. 



The nests are situated not far from the surface of the 

 ground, and are surmounted by a low mound 1-3 ft. high on 

 a broad irregular base. 



Branching passages of considerable diameter exist, but 

 they do not possess a free opening at the surface of the 

 ground. 



The nest proper is ill-defined at its circumference, and it is 

 generally shallow. The fungus-beds are small and delicate, 

 and the plentiful globules are not chiefly confined to the 

 under surface of the laminae as in Termes latericius. 



The royal cell is small, thin-walled and closed. It is 

 generally near the middle of the nest ; but it may be placed 

 at one side, or adherent to the top. It is not uncommon to 

 find two queens and two kings in the royal cell. 



The images fly by day, and at any time of the year from 

 October to June. They have been seen to swarm at various 

 times of the day — soon after sunrise, about noon, in the after- 

 noon, and occasionally even after sunset. Males and females 

 issue simultaneously from soone 4-6 holes. Swarming may 

 take more than an hour. Soldiers and workers guard the 

 holes of issue, and run about outside the nest, and in so doing 

 they have been seen to be killed by exposure to the heat of 

 the sun. The least disturbance at the exit holes will cause 

 the stream of imagos to cease. 



When a nest is being opened both the workers and soldiers 

 run away and hide, and this they do more readily than in 

 other species. 



