2l8 



THE WONDER OF LIFE 



the observer opens a nest, ' there streams out a very flood 

 of black creatures, soldiers and workers, covering Ms 

 hands, but doing him no harm.' Some of the workers 

 are trying to save the babies — who are not of course theirs 

 — ^by carrying them in their mouths. Sometimes a white 

 baby is seen sticking on to the big head of a soldier. 



Famiharity can surely 

 never breed contempt at the 

 spectacle of a Black Termite 

 army on the march through 

 the jungle, moving quickly 

 in a twisting file, it may 

 be several hundred yards 

 long, or four inches across, 

 pressing through and round 

 and over a multitude ol 

 obstacles, hurrying on hour 

 after hour, at the rate of 

 about a yard in a minute. 



Fig. 41.— Worker Termite, Termes making tortuOUsly for a 



convulsionarius ; enlarged, definite end — a tree covered 



{After Bugnion and Popotf.) 



with lichens where they 

 find their food supply. We speak of an ' army ', but 

 most of the marching Termites are ' workers ', the soldiers 

 are posted on each side of the file and often move very 

 little. The wonder of the spectacle increases when it is 

 discovered that through the whole army — among soldiers 

 and workers alike — there is no vision at all. The efiective 

 march of the blind army depends wholly on exquisite 

 senses of touch and smell, which appear to be located in 

 the antennae or feelers. 

 Professor Bugnion found a convenient small colony of 



