342 ' PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 



produced by the white ants, or Termites, the species of which constitute 

 the first class of perfect societies ; 1 shall now relafe to you some further 

 particulars of their history, which will, I hope, give you a better opinion 

 of them. 



The majority of these animals are natives of tropical countries, though 

 two species are indigenous to Europe; one of which, thought to have 

 been imported, is come so near to us as Bourdeaux. The fullest account 

 hitherto given of their history is that of Mr. Smeathman, in the Philo- 

 sophical Transactions for 1781 ; which, since it has in many particulars 

 been confirmed by the observations of succeeding naturalists, though in 

 some things he was evidently mistaken, I shall abridge for you, correcting 

 him where he appears to be in error, and adding from Latreille, and the 

 MS. of a French naturalist resident on the spot, kindly furnished by 

 Professor Hooker, what they have observed with respect to those of 

 Bourdeaux and Ceylon. The white ants, though they belong to the 

 Neuroptera order, borrow their instinct from the hymenopterous social 

 tribes, and in conjunction with the ants (^Formica) connect the two orders. 

 Their societies consist of five descriptions of individuals — workers or 

 larvae — nymphs or ])upa2 — neuters or soldiers — males and females. 



1. The ivorkcrs or larvre, answering to the hymenopterous neuters, are 

 the most numerous and at the same time the most active part of the 

 community; upon whom devolves the office of erecting and repairing the 

 buildings, collecting provisions, attending upon the female, conveying the 

 eggs when laid to what Smeathman calls the nurseries, and feeding the 

 young larvae till they are old enough to take care of themselves. They 

 are distinguished from the soldiers by their diminutive size, by their round 

 heads and shorter mandibles. 



2. The nymphs or pupae. These were not noticed by Smeathman, who 

 mistook the neuters for them : — they differ in nothing from the larvae, and 

 probably are equally active, except that they have rudiments of wings, or 

 rather the wings folded up in cases (^ptcrothccce) . They were first observed 

 by Latreille ; nor did they escape the author of the IMS. above alluded 

 to, who mistook them for a different kind of Jarvae. 



3. The neuters, erroneously called by Smeathman pupa2. These are much 

 less numerous than the workers, bearing the proportion of one to one 

 hundred, and exceeding them greatly in bulk. They are also distinguishable 

 by their long and large head, armed with very long subulate mandibles. 

 Their office is that of sentinels ; and when the nest is attacked, to them 

 is committed the task of defending it. These neuters are quite unlike 

 those in the Ilymenoptcra perfect societies, which seem to be a kind of 

 abortive females, and there is nothing analogous to them in any other 

 department of Entomology. 



4. and 5. Males and females, or the insects arrived at their state of 

 perfection, and capable of continuing the species. There is only one of 

 each in every separate society ; they are exempted from all participation 

 in the labors and employments occupying the rest of the community, that 

 they may be wholly devoted to the furnishing of constant accessions to the 

 population of the colony. Though at their first disclosure from the pupa 

 they have four wings, like the female ants they soon cast them ; but they 



