packaud.] the social life of IXSECTS. 329 



(or so-called neuter) Termites. In some species of Caloter- 

 mes the male soldiers ma,y even externall}' be distinguished 

 from the female ones. I have been able to confirm, in 

 almost all our species, the fact already observed by Mr. 

 Smeathman a century ago, but doubted by most subsequent 

 writers, that in the company of the queen there lives always 

 a king. The most interesting fact in the natural history of 

 these curious insects is the existence of two forms of sexual 

 individuals, in some (if not in all) of the species. Besides 

 the winged males and females, which are produced in vast 

 numbers, and which, leaving the termitary in large swarms, 

 may intercross with those produced in other communities, 

 there are wingless males and females which never leave the 

 termitary where they are born, and which replace the winged 

 males of females, whenever a community docs not find in 

 due time a true king or queen. Once I found a king (of a 

 species of Eittenaes) living in company with as many as 

 thirty-one such complemental females, as they may be called, 

 instead of with a single legitimate queen. Termites would, 

 no doiibt, save an extraordinary^ amount of labor if, instead 

 of raising annually myriads of winged males and females, 

 almost all of which (helpless creatures as they are) perish 

 in the time of swarming without being able to find a new 

 home, they raised solel}' a few wingless males and females, 

 which, free from danger, might remain in their native termi- 

 tary ; and he who does not admit the paramount importance 

 of intercrossing must, of course, wonder why this latter 

 manner of re[)roduction (b}' wingless individuals) lias not 

 long since taken the place through natural selection of the 

 production of winged males and females. But the wingless 

 individuals would of course have to i)air always with their 

 near relatives, whilst by the swarming of tlie winged Ter- 

 mites a chance is given to them for the intercrossing of indi- 

 viduals not nearly related." 



Among the ants the colony arises in the following manner. 



9 



