THE MARCHING TERMITES. 



regular sentinels. The two columns of the army joined into one 

 ahoiit twelve or fifteen paces from their ssparation, having in no 

 part been above three yards asunder, and then descended into the 

 earth by two or three holes. They continued marching by him 

 for above an hour that he stood admiring them, and seemed 

 neither to increase nor diminish their numbers, the soldiers only 

 excepted, who quitted the line of march, and placed themselves 

 at different distances on each side of the two columns ; for they 

 appeared much more numerous before he quitted the spot. Not 

 expecting to see any change in their march,, and being pinched 

 for time, the tide being nearly xip, and his departure being fixed 

 at high-water, he quitted the scene with some regret, as the 

 observation of a day or two might have aflbrded him the oppor- 

 tunity of exploring the reason and necessity of their marching 

 with such expedition, as well as of discovering their chief settle- 

 ment, which is probably built in the same manner as the large 

 hills before described. If so, it may be larger and more curious, 

 as these insects were at least one-third larger than the other 

 species, and consequently their buildings must be more wonderful, 

 if possible ; thus much is certain, there must be some fixed place 

 for their king and queen, and the young ones. Of these species 

 he did not see the perfect insect. 



In fine, although the curious and interesting habits and manners 

 which have been here described have been well ascertained 

 and accurately observed, naturalists are not yet agreed as to 

 the true physiological characters of the most numerous of the 

 classes composing these communities. That the two individuals 

 called the king and queen in the preceding pages, are perfect 

 insects, deprived of their wings, seems to be on all hands 

 admitted ; and that they are kept for the special purpose of pro- 

 pagation, and honoured as the common parents, is also certain. 

 But the true character of the multitude of workers and soldiers is 

 not so clear. Latreille inferred that the workers of Smeathman 

 consist of the larvse and pupae, which later pass into the perfect 

 state, assuming wings, and swarm in the manner already described ; 

 and that the soldiers are an order apart, which never assume the 

 perfect state, and are incapable of reproduction. To this, 

 Burmeister objects, that there is no instance in the whole animal 

 world in which the undeveloped young labour for the old ; and 

 therefore doubts that the workers can be larvae or pupae ; to which 

 may be added, that these so-called larvae still retain their form 

 when the winged individual^ appear. Huber also doubts that 

 the soldiers can be properly called neuters, and Kirby thinks they 



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