106 SFOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



cement ordinarily employed by termites when building their 

 nests, only a simple compilation of earthy particles with, very 

 possibly, a shght admixture of saHva. This simple mode of 

 construction accounts for the loose composition and the 

 brittleness of these superstructures. This observation is of 

 interest, in that it reveals a new method of building, and shows 

 us that termites are b}^ no means boiind to one scheme, but 

 that they are able to apply different (simple or complicated) 

 methods, according to the piu-pose or requisite durabiUty of 

 the structure."* 



I have quoted Escherich at full length, because his observa- 

 tions are fully corroborated bj^ my own. I may add that I 

 have observed Eiit. rubidus commencing their night's work at 

 about 6 P.M., when both forms of soldiers emerged from the 

 opening on the surface of the road and were followed by 

 workers, each carr3dng a morsel of earthy material. This 

 latter was placed without any further cementation on the 

 ground at a short distance from the opening. But not at all 

 the openings was such material brought up, nor was the 

 amount of work equal at all the openings. Aiter dark, about 

 two hours later, straight open galleries of from 1 to 1| incji 

 in length were built at some of the openings, whereas at others 

 only a small and very low crater had been formed. I counted 

 nine openings in all from which the termites came forth, and 

 overground traffic — by soldiers as well as workers — was 

 established between some of them. 



The most interesting part of the observation was that from 

 one of the holes where no building was going on at all, a vast 

 crowd of workers, guarded by soldiers, had emerged and was 

 feeding on the leaves of some flat -growing plants, sitting more 

 or less motionless on the leaves. Some of the workers were 

 seen to carry home comparatively large pieces of bark. 

 Disturbed, as I believe, by the strong hght of my acetylene 

 lantern (though the soldiers and workers of Eut. rubidus are 

 blind, it is more than probable that they have some sensation 

 of light), a movement soon occurred among the termites, and 

 they began hurfiedly to leave their pasture and to retreat 



* K. Escherich. Termitenleben auf Ceylon, 1910, pp. 133, 134. 



