268 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



African Loan Exhibition at tlie Crystal Palace. 



The Wbito Ant (Termes bellicosus). 1, Male. 2. Sulilier. "^ Worker Female (half natural 



Kize. A., itc, natural size). 



Tliere is at present being exhibited at the Crystal Palace, a collection 

 of objects from, and relating to, Africa. Si^ecially interesting to ento- 

 mologists is a model of a village of White ants ; this has been prepared 

 by Mr. Bool, under the superintendence of Mr. Burns, F.E.S. 



The so-called Wliite ants do not belong to the order of true ants, 

 although they approach them in their habits, and in the formation of their 

 societies. Each community consists of a single queen, and of males, 

 workers and soldiers. The queen of the species, Termes helUcosm, is 

 often six inches long, four ounces in weight, and has been known to 

 produce 8U,UU0 eggs per day. She is alwa3's built into a special cell, 

 which only contains a small aperture for the projection of the head, 

 and a number of minute openings, to enable her attendants to enter the 

 chamber for the pui'pose of removing the eggs to the necessary hatching 

 depositories. 



The nests of this species are rarely less than twelve feet high. T\\ej 

 are composed externally of clay mixed with matter secreted by the 

 ants. Contact with the air causes this compound to become as hard as 

 cement. The natives use this material for paving the floor of their 

 huts, and often utilise the nest as a furnace for cooking food or for 

 melting auriferous quartz. The queen's chamber is in the centre of the 

 nest, level with the ground. 



if the nest be broken it is speedily repaired, a nest split from top to 

 l)ottom being often made good in a single night. Immediately a 

 fracture occurs, a number of workers emerge from the ajierture ; these 

 summon the soldiers, who hurry around, snapping their large jaws, and 

 biting at everything within their reach. When all is quiet, the soldiers 

 stand by the workers until the fracture has been repaired. 



Nests are also shown of Termes atrox and T. niordox, which are of a 

 niTishroom shape, and of the Tree termites (Entermes moris). Altogether 

 the exhibit is one of profound interest to entomologists. 



