96 Mr. T.S. Savage on the Termitide of West Africa. 
pupze to be equally active with their respective larvee, which is 
not the case ; they are exceedingly delicate and sluggish. 
Of these several orders, the labourers are by far the most nu- 
merous. They seem to be susceptible of two divisions-—larger 
and smaller labourers. The latter exceed the former in numbers, 
and are found chiefly in the domicile. The work about the hill, 
such as constructing, repairing, bearing away the eggs from the 
maternal department, &c., seems to be done by them. Of the 
larger size, some few are found in the hill, but they exist in 
greater numbers in the covered ways, about and in the objects 
of plunder. The mandibles of this division are very hard and 
strong, and admirably adapted to the performance of what I sup- 
pose to be their part in the community, which is the comminu- 
ting of the different kinds of wood on which they prey, and the 
reducing of the clay from which their hills are made to a port- 
able condition. A like division of labour I have noticed among 
the Driver Ants of Africa (Anomma arcens and A. rubella). 
Messrs. Kirby and Spence are incorrect when they say (Intro- 
duct. vol. 1. pp. 40, 41) that “they carry in ther mouths a 
mass of mortar half as big as their bodies, ready tempered, made 
of the finer parts of gravel, which, worked up to a proper con- 
sistence, hardens to a substance resembling stone, of which their 
nests are constructed.” The amount each insect carries at a 
time is so small as to be hardly perceptible to the naked eye. 
When the work is done it presents a minutely granulated appear- 
ance, like that of the “ nurseries.” Nor is it already “ tempered,” 
ready to be laid. The insect, when it arrives at the place of de- 
posit, stops for an instant, and retaining its hold on the piece of 
clay, undergoes a slight tremulous movement, more perhaps like 
the spasmodic action of vomiting, when a fluid being seen to be 
excreted from the mouth over it, the clay is deposited. This cor- 
rects the supposition of Smeathman, that the cementing medium 
was guin obtained from the trees on which they preyed. The 
outer surface of the work when recent presents a red, moist, 
granulated appearance, but when acted on by the sun and atmo- 
sphere it approaches a dull white or yellow, and is highly indu- 
rated, more so than simple clay dried in the sun can be. It 
however falls far short of the hardness of stone; as the hill is 
penetrated, the clay becomes softer until the interior is found to 
be so plastic that it can be made into balls under the pressure of 
the hand. The young of this order are seen of all sizes; the 
nymphe of Latreille differing from the others apparently m no 
respect but that of their rudimentary wings. 
Soldiers —Of this order there seems to be ground for two 
divisions also, larger and smaller. 
When a breach is made in the hill, the smaller soldiers are 
