THE WHITE ANT. 



627 



de- 

 are 

 in 



re- 



numerous galleries and chambers, they will sustain the weight of cattle, 

 which are in the habit of ascending these wonderful monuments of 

 insect labor for the purpose of keeping a watch on the surrounding 

 country. 



To give a complete history of the Termites would be a task demand- 

 ing so much time and space that it cannot be attempted in these pages; 

 and we must therefore content ourselves with a slight sketch of their 



general history, 

 premising that 

 many parts of 

 their economy, 

 and especially 

 those which re- 

 late to their 

 velopment, 

 still buried 

 mystery. 



The most 

 cent investiga- 

 tions give the 

 following results: 

 Each Termite 

 colony is found- 

 ed by a fruitful 

 pair, called the 

 king and queen, 

 who are placed 

 in a chamber devoted to their sole use, and from which they never stir 

 when once enclosed. These insects produce a vast quantity of eggs, 

 from which are hatched the remaining members of the colony, con- 

 sisting of neuters of both sexes, the females being termed workers and 

 the males soldiers, the latter being distinguished by their enormous 

 heads and powerful jaws ; of larvse of two forms, some of which will 

 be fully developed, and others pass all their lives in the worker or 

 soldier condition ; of pup?e of two forme ; and, lastly, of male and 

 female perfect insects, which are destined to found fresh colonies. The 

 neuters of either sex are without wings. 



In founding a colony the order is as follows : The parent pair are 

 taken possession of by the workers, who enclose them in a chamber 

 which is intended as the nucleus of the infant establishment. The walls 

 of this chamber are pierced by holes which will suffer the workers to 

 pass, but are far too small to afford exit for the king or queen. Short- 

 ly after they have been fairly installed a w^ondrous change takes place 

 in the female. Though her head, thorax, and legs retain their normal 



The White Ant (Termes beUicosus). 

 1. Male. 2-4. Neuters. 3. Gravid Female. 



