ORIGIN OF THE SOLDIERS. 



Lund 1 pointed out that there were two different kinds 

 of workers, but Bates has since shown that there are 

 in this species no less than five classes of individuals, 

 namely: 1. Males. 2. Queens. 3. Small ordinary 

 workers (PI. III. fig. 2). 4. Large workers (PI. III. 

 fig. 1), with very large hairy heads. 5. Large workers, 

 with large polished heads. Bates never saw either of 

 these two last kinds do any work at all, and was not 

 able to satisfy himself as to their functions. They 

 have also been called soldiers, but this is obviously a 

 misnomer at least, they are said never to fight. Bates 

 suggests 2 that they may ' serve, in some sort, as passive 

 instruments of protection to the real workers. Their 

 enormously large, hard, and indestructible heads may 

 be of use in protecting them against the attacks of 

 insectivorous animals. They would be, on this view, a 

 kind of pieces de resistance, serving as a foil against 

 onslaughts made on the main body of workers.' 



This does not, I confess, appear to me a probable 

 explanation of the fact, and on the whole it seems that 

 the true function of these large-headed forms is not 

 yet satisfactorily explained. 



The question then arises whether these different 

 kinds of workers are produced from different eggs. 



I am disposed to concur with Westwood in the 

 opinion 3 'that the inhabitants of the nest have the 

 instinct so to modify the circumstances producing this 



1 Ann. de Sci. Nat. 1831, p. 122. 2 Loo. cit., p. 31. 



* Modern Classification of Insects, vol. ii. p. 225. 



