200 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



The termites, like many species of true ants, are 

 divided into two distinct castes, the workers and the 

 soldiers. If a breach is made in the walls of the dome 

 the soldiers rush out to meet the enemy, and fight 

 desperately with any enemy that they may find. Here, 

 again, I cannot do better than quote Biichner's epitome 

 of facts : — 



If the assailant withdraws beyond their reach and inflicts no 

 further injury, they retire within their dwelling in the course 

 of half an hour, as though they had come to the conclusion 

 that the enemy who had done the mischief had fled. Scarcely 

 have the soldiers disappeared when crowds of workers appear 

 in the breach, each with a quantity of ready-made mortar in its 

 mouth. As soon as they arrive they stick this mortar round 

 the open place, and direct the whole operation with such swift- 

 ness and facility that in spite of their great number they never 

 hinder each other, nor are obliged to stop. During this spec- 

 tacle of apparent restlessness and confusion the observer is 

 agreeably surprised to see arising a regular wall, filling up the 

 gap. During the time that the workers are thus busied the 

 soldiers remain within the nest, with the exception of a few, 

 which walk about apparently idly, never touching the mortar, 

 among the hundreds and thousands of workers. Nevertheless 

 one of them stands on guard close to the wall which is being 

 built. It turns gently each way in turn, lifting its head at in- 

 tervals of one or two minutes to strike the building with its 

 heavy mandibles, making the before-mentioned crackling noise. 

 This signal is immediately answered by a loud rustling from the 

 interior of the nest and from all the subterranean passages 

 and holes. There is no doubt that this noise arises from the 

 workers, for as often as the sign is given they work with in- 

 creased energy and speed. A renewal of the attack instan- 

 taneously changes the scene. 'At the first stroke,' says 

 Smeathman, * the workers run into the many tunnels and pas- 

 sages which run through the building, and this happens so- 

 quickly that they seem regularly to vanish. In a few seconds 

 they are all gone, and in their stead appear the soldiers once 

 more, as numerous and as pugnacious as before. If they find 

 no enemy, they turn back slowly into the interior of the hill,, 

 and immediately the mortar-laden workers again appear, and 

 among them a few soldiers, which behave just as on the first 

 occasion. So one can have the pleasure of seeing them work 

 and fight in turn, as often as one chooses ; and it will be found; 



