CONSTITUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF TERMITES. 307 
4. Relative Numbers of the Castes. 
It is impossible to indicate the relative numbers of the dif- 
ferent forms with any degree of certainty, owing to the exces- 
sive difficulty of fixing the limits of a colony. But, as before, 
the soldiers of Termes are far less abundant than the other 
forms. The workers occur in enormous numbers; the young 
and larve are also very numerous, the “nymphs of the first 
form ” relatively much less so. 
Examples in process of development into royal forms are 
common only in trees which, though densely populated, 
contain no or very few royal forms. Nevertheless a certain 
number of male “ nymphs of the second form” can easily be 
found from March to June, especially in trees containing com- 
plementary or substitute queens. 
Complementary forms occur in 6 or 8 per cent. only of trees 
invaded by Termes, but in these there may be upwards of a 
thousand, though the number usually oscillates between fifty 
and two hundred. 
Substitute royal forms, varying in number from about ten to 
two hundred, are confined to those nests which have been par- 
tially or completely orphaned, either by destruction of the com- 
plementary kings and queens, or by cutting down a tree and 
removing it a kilometre or so away from its original situation. 
In the nests which I have mentioned as having been ob- 
tained in glass jars, a single true royal pair was found. 
5. Seasonal Variations in the Colony. 
The colony differs very much at different times of the year. 
Eggs are present in May, June, and July, and, in all proba- 
bility, in August and September as well. 
The youngest larve are never present in April and May. 
Nymphs of the first form are not met with in June and 
July. Forms with tolerably well-marked wing-buds, and with 
fourteen to sixteen antennal joints, are absent or very scarce 
in October and November; they increase in number in 
December, to become abundant by January or February. 
