Mi.scelUi neons, 4 85 



hatched out. The egjfs, which look like grains of sugar, will be 

 foiuul pilfd up nil the edge of a terrac<'d formation wliere it joins 

 the nursery. Jlere the (jneen's cell is situated, somewhat about the 

 shape and size of an inverted saucer, and surrounded by other 

 terraced cells. Wliere tlie base of the nest comes in contact with 

 tlie ground it forms a coarse network of cells with galleries leading 

 downward into tiie earth, from which they gain access to the 

 outside world. 



All these mounds ar(> in the first instance formed over a dead 

 stump or fallen log, which in the course of time is by the action of 

 the termites transformed into this triturated woody material. The 

 social life and transformations of the difterent forms found in these 

 nests is very remarkable, and has puzzled naturalists from earliest 

 ages. Pliny, in his 'Natural History of the World,' where all the 

 curious and remarkable " facts '' known to the ancients are recorded, 

 gives the following account of the " India-n Pismires," which is 

 probably intended for while ants : — 



'' In the country of the Northern Indians, named Dardae, the 

 ants do cast up gold above the ground from out of holes and mines 

 within the earth ; these are in colour like to cats, and as big as the 

 wolves of Egypt. This gold beforesaid, which they work up in the 

 winter time, the Indians do steal from them in the extream heat 

 of summer, waiting their opportunity when the pismires lie close 

 within their caves under the ground from the parching sun, yet not 

 without great danger. For if they happen to wind them, and catch 

 their scent, out they go, and follow after them in great baste, and 

 with such fury they Hy upon them, that oftentimes they tear them 

 in pieces, let them make way as fast as they can upon their most 

 swift camels, yet they are not able to save them, so fleet of pace, so 

 fierce of courage are they, to recover the gold they love so well." 



Each nest contains three very distinct classes or castes. I'irst, the 

 winged males and females, which hardly differ in general ajipear 

 ance from each other, and are popularly known as " tlying ants. 

 They are developed from the eggs by a gradual series of moults, 

 and when about half-grown show well-formed wing-cases. The 

 nests during the w'inter mouths are full of these termites in all 

 stages of growth, and early in November they undergo their final 

 moult and emerge with two pairs of full-growu wings. The 

 workers now cut regular galleries through the earthen walls, which 

 are guarded by the soldiers until the time comes for them to all fly 

 from the nest. The bulk of them are destroyed by birds and 

 hundreds of other insects that prey upon these helpless creatures, 

 while thousands of them perish around lamps and fires, A few 

 pairs, however, manage, after shaking ofi' their wings (which have a 

 curious cross suture close to the shoulders by which the}- are very 

 easily pulled off ), to crawl under a log, where, if they manage to exist 

 until they are found by a foraging party of workers and soldiers, 

 they found a fresh colony. 



What becomes of the male tennite after the female becomes 

 pregnant I do not know, as I have never been able to find him in a 



j> 



