CONSTriUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF TERMITES. 41 



'' The so-called amatory passages are not exhibited by 

 Calotermes ; they are seen iu Termes, and possess no sexual 

 significance, but are simply attempts to solicit dejecta. 



'• The pairs which begin to form fresh colonies have the 

 antennae mutilated ; this is probably effected reciprocally on 

 each other. Furthermore, these organs are never found intact 

 in any royal example, true or neoteinic, of either Calotermes 

 or Termes. 



"4. Termes and Calotermes communicate among them- 

 selves chiefly by a jerking convulsion of the whole body, which 

 may be accompanied (iu the soldiers of T. lucifugus) by a 

 readily perceptible crepitus, produced by friction between the 

 head and prouotum. 



'' The tibial organ, discovered by Fritz Miiller, is tympanic 

 and most probably auditory. As far as we can make out, 

 Termites hear the sounds produced by the convulsive movements. 



" Members of the same nest recognise each other. 



" 5. The food of Termitidse consists of — 



" (1) Triturated particles of dead or decayed wood ; 



" (2) The material disgorged by their fellows, and composed 

 of triturated wood mixed with saliva ; 



" (3) The dejecta of their fellows ; this constitutes the 

 favourite food of these insects, which show great skill in 

 soliciting it from each other ; 



" (4) Dead examples of their own or other colonies, but of 

 the same species, — moribund, healthy, but superfluous indi- 

 viduals (superfluous royal substitutes or soldiers, &c.) ; 



" (5) The salivary secretion of their fellows (a transparent 

 alkaline liquid). 



" Termites also imbibe water. 



" 6. The colony can modify the development of a certain 

 number of individuals which are destined normally to become 

 perfect insects, by varying the proportion and quantity of their 

 nutriment. It thus obtains workers, soldiers (which may be 

 considered as further diff'erentiated workers), and neoteinic 

 forms, which may or may not exhibit special characters, such 

 as long setse. The neoteinic forms become sexually mature 



