3138 



THE JOINTED ANIMALS 



being marked by a transverse suture at a short distance from the base; and in a 

 state of rest they are laid flat over the back. The legs are slender, and well fitted 

 for running, and their tarsi are four jointed. The abdomen has a slightly 

 elongated or oval form, and carries two very short appendages the cerci near its 

 extremity. 



The common habitation of a society of white ants is known as a nest; and in 

 each nest, which is divided into a number of cells or chambers communicating with 

 one another, there may be found several different kinds of individuals in addition to 

 the larvae. Some are provided with wings, or with the rudiments thereof, and are 



6 



WHITE ANTS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT. 



i. Male of Termes dtrus; 2. The same, seen from the side ; 3. The head (enlarged); 4. Worker; 5. The same, front 

 view; 6, 7. Soldier, side and front view; 8. Worker (much enlarged); 9. Nymph; 10. Queen. 



distinguished also by having eyes. These are the sexually developed males and fe- 

 males, which are capable of reproducing their kind; though this function is, as a 

 rule, carried on by a single couple in each nest. The king and queen as this 

 couple are named are lodged in a large cell near the middle of the nest, and may 

 be recognized by their large size, and the fact that they retain but small stumps of 

 the wings which they once possessed. The royal cell is larger than the others, and 

 has thicker walls; while the passages leading into it are too small to afford the occu- 

 pants a means of escape, though large enough to admit the workers, which come 

 and go, some to bring food to the royal pair, others to carry away the eggs laid by 

 the queen. At this time the abdomen of the queen, owing to the number of eggs it 



