Wliite Ants. 317 



Arhich are furnished with strong mandibles for gnawing; 

 when they become nymphs, the rudiments of four wings 

 appear, which are fully developed in the perfect insects. 



Termes bellicosus in the winged state. 



[It is now known that the differences of form among the 

 termites are accounted for as follows. The winged specimens 

 are the fully developed males and females, popularly called 

 kings and queens. These crawl to the aperture of their 

 house and take flight, retiring to earth after a short time. 

 When a male and female meet each other, they cast off their 

 wings exactly as do the ants of our own country, and become 

 the founders of a new colony. Their soldiers are undeve- 

 loped males, and the workers are undeveloped females.] 



In the winged state, they migrate to form new colonies, 

 but the greater number of them perish in a few hours, or 

 become the prey of birds, and even of the natives, who fry them 

 as delicacies. " I have discoursed with several gentlemen," 

 says Sineathman, " upon the taste of the white ants, and on 

 comparing notes, we have always agreed that they are most 

 delicious and delicate eating. One gentleman compared 

 them to sugared marrow, another to sugared cream and a 

 paste of sweet almonds."* 



Mr. Smeathman's very interesting paper affords us the 

 most authentic materials for the further description of these 

 wonderful insects ; and we therefore continue partly to ex- 

 tract from, and partly to abridge, his account. 



The few pairs that are so fortunate as to survive the 

 various casualties that assail them, are usually found by 

 workers (larvae), which, at this season, are running con- 

 * Smeathman, in Phil. Trans., vol. Ixxi. p. 169, note. 



