TERMITES OR WHITE ANTS. (i78 



unci iifter throe or four niotith.s again examined the nests. In three out 

 of the five cases substitution pairs exactly reseni])ling' the original ones, 

 with well-formed wing stumps, were present; in tho other two cases I 

 could not find a royal c(^ll. and believe that the loss had not ])een 

 repaired. 



Natural neoteinic forms are \-erv abundantly found in some species, 

 especially in those whose soldiers lune a saddle-shaped pronotum and 

 are mandibidated. In forms with nasute soldiers I found neoteinic 

 (jueens in only two species, T. honienixis and T. inatangenf<is. Neo- 

 teinic (lueens are generally raised in consideral)le numbers, and ))ecome 

 fewer in number as they grow older. They are always found in the 

 same part of the nest, although, unless few in number, they can not 

 all occupy the same cell. 



By neoteinic individuals 1 mean fertile individuals the condition of 

 whose thorax makes it clear that thev have never l)een capable of 

 flight. Though the true queens are always accompanied l)y kings, 

 the neoteinic queens are often consortless. The^' may l)e accompanied 

 by one or more true kings, or by one or more neoteinic kings; but 

 the kings are almost invaria1)ly less numerous than the queens, and are 

 in many cases wholh' absent. This last conclusion indeed rests on 

 negative evidence onh% and in the case in which I am most positive 

 {T. ni<ifan(/ensis, Nos. 35S and 35!') neither eggs nor young larvsv were 

 pres(Mit in the nests, though Avingless males and females were abundant. 



The function of the soldiers 1 ])elieve to be defense, and defense 

 onl3\ Some a])le observers have arrived at a different conclusion, 

 but on what grounds I am not clear. There is a vast ditt'erence in 

 functions of oflense and functions of defense; the most successful 

 defense is to ^jrevent attack; defense has half failed when attacks 

 nuist be repulsed. The great enemies of termites are ants; and the 

 functions of the soldiers seem to me to be to defend any openings in 

 the nests by putting their heads in the way whilst the workers ))uild 

 fortifications. Those soldiers which ha^'e a saddle-shaped pronotum 

 and well-developed mandil)les are ver}" sluggish, and )<vo\\\ (juite use- 

 less when a nest is opened. It is the nests to which these l)elong that 

 l)irds are most fond of; but while ])roken nests may b(^ used to ))ait 

 l)ird traps, unbroken nests seem sufliciently strong to r<'sist the Itirds. 



Those soldiers which have a saddle-shaped pronotum and rudimen- 

 tary mandibles secrete a clear viscid fluid from a sac which ()ccu})ies a 

 great part of the head, and opens by a duct which passes down the 

 rostrum. The soldiers may be seen to dab a little of the fluid on the 

 antennte of their enemies by a quick movement which is cleai'ly a 

 modification of the shaking movement so often seen in worker ter- 

 mites. By this means such enemies as ants are placed hors de combat 

 when they do not, as the}- generally do. avoid these soldiers, l^ut 

 such a mode of defense would seem ([uite useless in dealing with birds 

 SM 1901 43 



