NOTES ON THE LIFE-HISTOKIES OF NATAL TEKMITES. 125 



distinguished from them by the naked eye except by a red 

 patch at the base of the abdomen, which is due to the colour 

 of the contents of the salivary vesicles. 



Neither workers nor soldiers appear to get very excited 

 when the nest is opened ; they both behave much in the same 

 way and slowly seek retreat. 



Owing to the freedom with which the kings and queens 

 wander aljout when the nest is opened, it is difficult to 

 determine how many there are in a colony, or what are the 

 limits of a colony. Occasionally three or four queens are 

 found not far apart ; kings are less often found. On one 

 occasion Mr. Haviland found in the royal cell of a nest of 

 T. latericius a queen of T. incertus in addition to a queen 

 of the former species. No king of either species was found, 

 but a number of workers and soldiers of T. latericius 

 occurred. It is probable that the queen of T. incertus 

 entered the royal cell whilst the nest was being opened. 



Termes parvus Haviland. 



Found in Natal froin the sea-coast to an altitude of about 

 5000 ft. The winged images may be seen on the tops of hills 

 up to an altitude of 6000 ft. 



Winged images are 4*5 mm. long, and have a head-breadth 

 of 1*1 mm. 

 . The soldiers and workers are of one size only. 



The soldiers are 4 mm. long, and head-breadth, 0'83 mm. ; 

 the workers are 3*5 mm. long, head-breadth, 0'77 mm. 



The nests are sometimes built practically on the surface of 

 the ground, but they are often some little distance below, and 

 occasionally several feet. The nest is an irregular cellular 

 structure. There may be but one king and queen, but two 

 kings and two queens not infrequently occupy the same cell. 

 The queen's abdomen is slender, and she and the king can 

 move about the nest. 



Occasionally there are no true kings and queens, but a con- 

 siderable number of neoteinic queens. 



