128 ERNEST WARREN. 



nest, and when disturbed they may escape into the surround- 

 ing soih 



Neoteinic forms have not been found. 



The imagos get their wings in September-October, and issue 

 by night during the month of November. They generally 

 swarm after rain; but all the imagos of a nest do not 

 emerge on the same night. They issue from crescentric holes 

 made in the shell of the nest by the workers ; these are 

 opened in the evening and closed next morning. The marks 

 of the holes persist for months after they have been perma- 

 nently closed, for the closing plugs are not flush with the 

 surface of the shell. 



When the shell of a mound is broken into and then tapped 

 upon with the spade, the large soldiers come out in great 

 numbers with uplifted rostrum, and with a tine thread of clear 

 viscid fluid hanging from it or floating in the air. This 

 thread dissolves in spirit, Avhereas the salivary discharge of 

 the soldiers of the fungus-growers and the discharge from 

 the head of the soldiers of T. gestroi harden in spirit. A 

 few small soldiers also come out, but not many. When the 

 nest is thoroughly broken into, the small soldiers stand on the 

 broken surface without retreating. The workers retreat at 

 once and can be driven into any part of the nest; they 

 frequently retreat into tlie underground passages around the 

 nest. These passages are narrow and keep close to the 

 surface of the soil. 



The workers cut grass during the wet season, chiefly during 

 the night ; but they may sometimes be watched at woi'k early 

 in the morning, and in dull weather even in the middle of the 

 day. Like Hodotermes, they stand head downwards on a 

 stem of grass, and with their mandibles gradually cut round 

 the stem until it is sawn through. 



Jackals appear to feed largely on this species of termite. 



Quite frequently the nests of T. trinervius are seen to 

 be perforated by a hole on one side, which leads to the 

 centre ; Mr. Haviland thought it was the work of some small 

 rodent. 



