30 



Marvels of Insect Life. 



Termite Mushroom-grower. 



The species represented is the best known and most important of the mushroom- 

 growing termites of the Old World. The individual is a winged male. The species 

 may be called the warlike termes, if one adopts its scientific name. It builds tall 

 mounds for nests. 



Belt was not content 

 to observe the leaves piled 

 up on top of the nest. 

 He dug out the under- 

 ground chambers, and 

 found that some of them 

 were rounded and five 

 inches across, three- 

 lourths of the space 

 being filled with a 

 spongv mass of speckled 

 brown material. There 

 were no green leaves to 

 be seen, but 

 fied himself 

 spongy mass 



he satis- 

 that the 

 was the 



remains of them, acted upon by damp heat after having been finely cut 



up. Through all the mass 

 ran white threads of fungus 

 mycelium. The ant - larvse 

 were brouglit to these same 

 chambers, and were fed 

 upon bits of fungus snipped 

 off by the jaws of the 

 attendant workers-minor. To 

 the larger workers is en- 

 trusted the task of making 

 these mushroom - beds. The 

 green leaves are brought to 

 them and they cut them into 

 shr(^ds, cleaning each by 

 licking it, then rolling it into 

 a little pellet and throwing 

 it upon the heap. It is 

 also stated that when they 

 have completed the forma- 

 tion of a new bed. it is 

 inoculated with the lungus by 

 sticking in bits of the old bed 

 with its mx'celiuni tln-eads, 

 just as human mushroom- 

 urowers do. Some of the bed 



Photo by] 



Term HE Cutting Gr.\ss. 



IH. Bastt 



Although this photograph serves to illustrate the maimer in whicli tlie 

 fvuigus-growing termites cut grass for making tlieir mushroom beds, it 

 should be stated that the task of gatlicring this material is undertaken 

 by the workers, whereas the specimen photographed with the grass blade in 

 its jaws is a soldier. 



on being taken from the 

 nest and placed under con- 

 ditions mor(> natural for the 



