The Termites, or White Ants 



103 



The workers of T. flavipes (Fig. 134) are, when full grown, about in. 

 long, while the soldiers are a little larger. Both of these castes are whitish. 

 But the winged males (Fig. 1350) and females which come from the nest 

 and swarm in the air in late spring or early summer are chestnut-brown 

 to blackish and measure about in. in length. The four wings are of about 

 equal size, and when the insect is in flight expand about f in. When at 

 rest they lie lengthwise on the back, projecting beyond the tip of the abdo- 

 men. They have many veins and are pale brown in color. After flying 

 some time and to some distance, the insects alight on the ground and shed 

 their wings (Fig. 1356)- This they are enabled to do because of a curious 

 suture or line of weakness running across each wing near its base. All the 

 wing beyond this suture falls off, leaving each now wingless male or female 

 with four short wing-stumps. These swarming flights 

 attract the birds. Hagen noted fifteen different species 

 of birds following such a termite flight one May-day in 

 Cambridge, Mass. "Besides the common robins, blue- 

 birds, and sparrows," he says, 

 "were others not seen before 

 near the house. The birds 

 caught the Termes partly in 

 flight, partly on the ground, 

 and the robins were finally 

 so gorged in appearance that 

 their bills stood open! " 



After the swarming flight 

 the few uneaten males and 



FIG. 1350. 



FIG. 1356. 



females pair, and each pair FIG. 1350. r. flavipes, winged male. (After Mar- 



latt; natural size indicated by line.) 

 FIG. 1356. T. flavipes, complementary queen. 

 (After Marlatt; natural size indicated by line.) 



probably founds a new colony. 

 Perhaps some of the pairs 

 are found by workers, and 



taken possession of as the royal couple for a new community. Exactly 

 how the new communities of flavipes begin is not known; and this is 

 an excellent opportunity for some amateur observer to distinguish himself! 

 The egg-laying queen mother of a flavipes colony also has yet to be 

 discovered. There exist in many species of termites individuals called com- 

 plemental males and females. These are forms which, in case of the loss 

 of the real king or queen., can develop into substitute royalties. Whether such 

 forms exist in all flavipes colonies does not seem to be certainly known. 

 It is obvious that there is still much to learn about the interesting life of 

 our commonest and most wide- spread termite species. 



Of the other six species of our country, all of which are limited to the 

 southern, southwestern, and Pacific states, three, representing all of the 



