328 



EASTERN ETHIOPIA 



XXVII 



Smeathman frequently observed old queens which pro- 

 truded sixty in a minute. As there is reason to believe 

 that a queen lives several years, the amount of eggs she 

 produces is prodigious. The eggs, as soon as laid, are 

 removed by the attendant workers to the nurseries, fed 

 and watched until they are capable of taking care 



Termites (White Ants). 



A, Winged form ; near the base of eacli wing there is a line of 

 weakness along which the wings break off, leaving the 

 stumps as short horny flaps ; B, female ; C, soldier ; 

 D, worker. 



of themselves, and develop into workers, soldiers, and 

 winged individuals. 



The life-history of termites has not been followed in 

 great detail for several reasons : they live in com- 

 munities concealed from observation ; isolated indivi- 

 duals do not thrive ; and their growth is unusually slow 

 as compared with other insects. 



A study of the nests (termitaria) is interesting. The 

 material used for their construction is either earth, wood, 

 or the excrement of the termites, and the large edifices 

 constructed by them are so solid that they look like 

 stone and are so hard that it requires a pickaxe or 9, 



