i'kksii)I':ntial addrkss — skction d. 103 



nest. Under such circumstances sexual impulse may lead the 

 beetle to wander out of the nest on damp evenings, and it might 

 then enter a neighbouring nest. Such a mode of dispersal 

 would, of course, be very slow, and would only apply to those 

 termitophiles living with termites, which build their nests in 

 close proximity to one another. On one occasion I observed a 

 minute termitophile beetle-larva clinging to the body of a ter- 

 mite worker. Even if such a larva attached itself to the body 

 of a winged imago issuing from a nest there would seem to 

 be little chance of it surviving the long and tedious operations 

 of starting a new colony by a single pair of sexual termites. 



There is no great tendency for an external reduction in the 

 eyes of even the highly specialised termitophiles which live in 

 the dark nests of the termites ; but I have recently ascertained 

 that the histological structure may exhibit great degeneration. 



5. The Gmt and Power of Movement of Termitophiles. — 

 Insufficient observations are available as to how far termitophiles 

 may mimic termites in their general movements. The flat, defen- 

 sive type like Tcrmitodiscus has a singular gliding gait, which 

 is qtiite unlike that of termites, but it is peculiarly unobtrusive, 

 and is very suitable for termitophiles which are merely tolerated 

 •by the termites. 



Some of the Staphylinids are exceedingly agile, and they 

 dart about the nest with slippery activity. This was particu- 

 larly noticed in the case of Termitopiilcx natalensis Wasm., a 

 slim, black species, covered with long bristles, and living in the 

 nest of Termes natalensis (Hav. ). 



On the other hand, the general gait of the termitophile may 

 resemble that of the termites. The physogastric staphylinid 

 Parucorotoca is quite as active as a termite worker, and it is 

 generally found towards the periphery of the nest in company 

 with a crowd of workers. Correspondingly the supposed larva 

 of Paracorotoca is always found in company with the young of 

 the termites, and its movements are similarly slow. 



When termites are alarmed by opening the nest, or by 

 sudden exposure to light, they agitate or vibrate their bodies 

 in a characteristic maimer. Dr. Conrad Akerman, who first dis- 

 covered Paracorotoca, made the very interesting observation that 

 the termitophile also vibrates its body, and when suddenly ex- 

 posed to strong light, both termitophile and surrounding ter- 

 mites vibrate in a perfectly similar manner. It is difficult to 

 see that there can be any utility in this habit on the part of 

 the termitophile, and although it is a case of marked similarity 

 in habit, we can scarcely imagine that it arose through the 

 natural selection of small variations. It rnay be even doubted 

 whether there is any utility in the habit on the part of the ter- 

 mites themselves, although shaking the bendy might possibly 

 frighten ants or other small enemies, and the soldiers tap their 

 mandibles against the ground with considerable force when 

 alarmed. Possibly it is merely a reflex nervous action analogous 



