PLATYPTERA. 97 



showing how destructive these insects are in houses, 

 eating away the inside of timber and leaving the 

 outside untouched and apparently sound, so that some- 

 times a building is liable to sudden and unexpected 

 collapse. 



The African Termites have been described by 

 Smeathman,^ who is still an authority on this subject. 

 The species, Termes bellicosiis, already referred to, 

 differs from our American white ant by building clay 

 hillocks from ten to twelve feet high. In the centre 

 of these and near the surface of the ground is the 

 royal chamber occupied by the king and queen. 

 Extending a foot or more around this chamber on all 

 sides are the apartments of the workers and soldiers, 

 and beyond these the nurseries and storehouses. It 

 is a significant fact that while all the other chambers 

 are built of clay, the nurseries are " totally different," 

 being made of wooden materials, apparently cemented 

 together with gum. 



PSOCID.E. 



These insects (Fig. 51, Psocus lineaiuSj enlarged) 

 are small, reminding one of the plant-lice, or aphides 

 (Fig. 81). The head is large in proportion to the 

 size of the animal. The small prothorax separates 

 easily from the mesothorax, coming off readily with 

 the head ; the abdomen is much shorter than the 

 wings. 



The compound eyes are small though prominent, 

 and the antenna very long. The mouth parts are for 



1 See Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc, 1781; also, Romanes, Animal 

 Intelligence. International Sciejitific Series, 1882. 



