BIOLOGY OF THE TERMITES OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 41 
get out of the old skin, the insect doubles up. The insect lies on 
the ground during the molt. Grassi, while he did not describe this 
stage, knew that during certain ecdyses in the development of nymphs 
and soldiers important changes took place. Odenbach, January 13 
to 24, 1896, observed in an artificial nest indoors (manuscript notes) 
molting larvee of flavipes in the quiescent stage, as if dead. He states 
that the molting process lasts three and one-half hours, that workers 
assisted, and that the skin is eaten. His observations are prac- 
tically the same as those of Strickland. Holmgren describes this 
stage in the larva of Rhinotermes taurus Desneux, Escherich “ figures 
larve of Termes obscuripes Wasmann, and Bugnion? figures a soldier 
of Termes horni Wasmann in this quiescent stage. Holmgren was 
the first to state that a quiescent stage occurs in connection with 
each molt, and to note the internal as well as external changes that 
occur during these molts. 
The writer has observed quiescent stages of undifferentiated (7?) 
larvee, larvee of nymphs of the first form, nymphs of the first and 
second forms, and larve of workers and soldiers of Leuwcotermes 
flavipes and L. virginicus and soldiers and nymphs of the first form 
of Termopsis angusticollis.° Differentiated nymphs of the first 
form of L. virginicus only 2.5 mm. in length have been observed. 
Bugnion states? that since he has found nasuti larve of Eutermes 
lacustris Bugnion 1.3 mm. in length he believes that the differentia- 
tion is effected in the embryo for the three castes. The young 
nasutus with the distinct ‘‘corne frontale” is figured. This is not 
at all in accordance with Knower’s statements and drawings of the 
development of the nasutus of Kutermes (rippertii?) which developed 
from a worker-like larva, and with Grassi’s description in Calotermes 
flavicollis Fabricius and Leucotermes lucifugus and the writer’s de- 
scription in L. virgunicus of the development of soldiers from worker- 
like larve. Bugnion further states* that in the higher termites 
the differentiation of caste reaches perfect expression. 
Observations by the writer of molting soldier larve of Leucotermes 
spp. show that the differentiation takes place during a “quiescent 
stage” rather late in the life cycle. 
From the first to the middle of August, 1913, freshly molted pig- 
mentless soldier nymphs of flavipes in the stage preceding maturity 
were noticeable in colonies in Virginia. From the middle of June 


a Escherich, K. Op. cit., p. 43. 
® Bugnion, E. Le Termes Horni Wasm. de Ceylan. Rev. Suisse Zool., t. 21, 
no. 10, p. 299-330, pl. 11-13, juin, 1913. See p. 305-309. 
¢ Snyder, T. E. Loc. cit. 
@ Bugnion, E. Les termites de Ceylan. Le Globe: Memoires Soc. Geog. Geneva, 
t. 52, p. 24-58, 1913. 
¢ Bugnion, E. La differenciation des castes chez les Termites [Nevr.]. Bul. Soc. 
Ent. de France, 1913, no. 8, p. 218-218, April 23, 1913. See p. 217. 
