42 B. GRASSI AND A. SANDIAS. 



without fully acquiring the perfect instar^ and thus preserve 

 the facies of the larva or nymph ; they consist of substitute 

 and complementary kings and queens. 



''All this maybe rigorously proved by the observation of 

 colonies which have been deprived of the king, queen^ or 

 soldiers, &c. ; and the insects can thus be forced to produce 

 soldiers, workers, or neoteinic forms at will. 



" These transformations can take place without limitation 

 to a specified age in the individuals selected. Soldiers may 

 be derived from larvse and nymphs of diflFerent ages, and neo- 

 teinic forms from these or from perfect insects which are still 

 white. 



" Nevertheless the colony prefers to select examples for 

 transformation at the ages specified in the present memoir. 



'^ 7. The larvse and nymphs administer a large quantity of 

 saliva to examples destined to become neoteinic; it causes the 

 disappearance of the parasitic Protozoa. The importance of 

 this disappearance is not clearly understood, but it is certainly 

 insufficient by itself to produce neoteinia. 



" Newly-born larvae receive nothing but saliva, but little 

 or none is administered later to those in progress of becoming 

 workers or soldiers. 



''8. The colony of Termes lucifugus is headed by 

 hundreds of complementary queens ; the existence of the 

 complementary kings is precarious. Both appear invariably 

 to be derived from the nymph of the second form. 



"Orphaned colonies of Termes are found after a certain 

 time to contain substitute instead of complementary queens. 

 They are frequently derived from entirely wingless larvae, 

 but not seldom from perfect insects, which are more or less 

 completely white. 



''The colony of Calotermes flavicollis is headed by 

 a royal pair derived from perfect insects. When they are 

 absent a substitute pair is furnished. Strictly speaking, several 

 such pairs are provided, but only one survives the ferocious 

 conflicts and banquets of royal flesh which take place. 



Termes lucifugus readily migrates from one tree to 



le ' 



