346 HOMES WITHOUT HANDK 



himself much pleased with it, but asserted that Termites weremuch 

 superior in flavour. In order to catch the Termites in sufficient 

 numbers, the native makes a hole in the nest, and when the workers 

 are congregated for the purpose of repairing the breach, he sweeps 

 them into a vessel, and repeats the operation tmtil he has 

 obtained as many as he wants. 



As is the case with the true ants, the Termites only retain 

 their wings for a limited period, using them for the purpose of 

 escaping from the nest, and snapping them off as soon as they 

 have met with a partner. The manner in which the wings are 

 fixed to the body is the same in both groups of insects, and these 

 singular organs are shed by being bent sharply forwards. If a 

 living Termite be caught, and its wings pressed forward with a 

 pin, they will instantly snap off ; but if bent backwards, a piece 

 of the body will be torn away before the wings can be removed. 



A correspondent of the Field newspaper gives a very interest- 

 ing account of the proceedings of the Termites living in India. 

 After mentioning the peculiar shedding of the wings, he writes 

 as follows : — 



" The career of the winged white ant, as far as I have had an 

 opportunity of judging, is as follows : — Soon after the commence- 

 ment of the first shower which ushers in the rainy season in India, 

 swarms of winged white ants are to be seen issuing from small holes 

 in the earth, in old mud or sunburnt brick walls, and from places 

 of a similar character, in which the original nests may have been 

 located whence these swarms are thrown off. These legions at 

 once attract the attention of all the insectivorous and omnivorous 

 birds in the neighbourhood, and the minahs, crows, and sparrows 

 are on the alert to feast to satiety on the defenceless ants. 



" Judging from the appearance of the wings of these ants as 

 they emerge from their earth-home, I should be disposed to 

 think that they do not develop their wings until the dampness 

 of the atmosphere warns them to prepare for action. There is a 

 new, smooth, and glossy appearance about them, not unlike the 

 wings of a young wasp, or the shine of a new hat The ants 

 vary much in size at this period of their existence ; in good 

 damp seasons, and perhaps in favourable localities, they have a 

 weU-fed, plump appearance, whereas under unfavourable circum- 

 stances they present a slender and measly complexion. They 

 crawl to the mouth of the hole in the first instance, and at once 



