[ 72' ] 



As in the case of ordinary ants, the white-ants leave their 

 nest for their " marriage flight" at the end of the rainy 

 season, lose their wings, and a surviving pair after losing 

 their wings, are led into the nest by the neuters, when the 

 abdomen of the female becomes enormously distended with 

 eggs, i. e. } two or three inches in length and more than half 

 an inch in thickness (Fig. 73 a}. She goes on laying about 

 60 eggs per minute. The larvae from these eggs perform the 

 greater part of the work of the nest, in making tunnels and 

 galleries. The pupae differ from larvae in possessing rudi- 

 ments of wings. The " soldier" white-ants are distinguished 

 by their larger head and powerful mandibles. They are pro- 

 bably neuters. 



FIG. 73. THE WHITE-ANT. 



0) Queen white-ant ready to (c) Soldier neuter, 

 deposit eggs. (d) Male pupa. 



(b) Working neuter. ( e ) Female pupa. 



(/) Winged white-ant. 



1,263. When white-ants attack the roots of ordinary 

 MMMM 



