274 B. GRASSI AND A. SANDIAS. 
is seen to adopt as food a material which is usually of the same 
dirty yellowish colour as that of more developed examples, and 
is apparent through the translucent abdomen, so that the 
general white colour of the body is blotched with yellow. The 
importance which attaches to this fact will be explained in the 
subsequent chapter. | 
The youngest soldier larve are therefore distinguishable by 
the greater size of the head and the lesser constriction of its 
anterior portion, as well as by the yellow line in this region; 
moreover the thorax and the abdomen, which possesses 
the aforesaid yellowish blotching, appear to be somewhat wider. 
The body of small soldiers (5 mm. in length) does not become 
fully yellow, with exception of the head, which is golden- 
yellow, and the mandibles, which are brown. Their head is 
subglobose, and at first sight these small soldiers greatly 
resemble those of Termes lucifugus, but are distinguishable 
by the indistinctly marked neck. The relative width of the 
head and pronotum varies in soldiers of different sizes, as is 
shown in the plate (Pl. 16, figs. 5, 16). 
The body of medium-sized or large soldiers is golden- 
yellow, much deeper anteriorly, while the mandibles are 
coloured as in the small soldiers. The head is rectangular, 
and longer than broad, subquadrate. At the time of differen- 
tiation all the soldiers, large and small alike, are white, as I 
have stated. 
True kings and queens (6'5 to 7 mm. in length) of recent 
development are black, except for the apical portions of the 
legs and antennze, which are light yellow, and the anterior 
three fourths of the pronotum, which are golden yellow. 
With increase in bulk, at the first moment of the assumption 
of the definitive habit, the white intersegmental linear spaces 
become evident, and are most conspicuous when the royal 
forms have reached the maximum dimensions of which they 
are capable (Pl. 16, figs. 7,11). I may note here that a length 
of 10 mm. for the king and of 14 mm. for the queen is the 
greatest that I have observed. 
These white lines, which are not as yet evident in royal 
