28 



GUIDE TO INSECTS. 



Table- 

 case 35. 



These forms are undistinguishable when they first leave the eggs, 

 but soon show more or less of the character of the form which they 

 will ultimately become. It seems, however, that Termites have 

 some power of modifying or checking the development of individuals 

 so that some females of the special sexual forms do not develop 

 wings, and are held in reserve in case any accident should happen to 



Fig. 26. 



Base of a Termite's wing showing the line where the wing breaks off. 



Wall- 

 cases 9 & 

 10. 



the " Queen " upon which the existence of the community depends. 

 These individuals have been called " complementary reserve queens," 

 and when actually substituted for a queen " substitution queens." 



The special sexual forms above alluded to are so called because 

 it is upon these that the continuance of the species appears to 

 depend. Individuals of both sexes are found among soldiers and 

 workers, but it is highly improbable that they ever reproduce their 

 species. The males and females that have wings throw them off 

 soon after leaving the nest in which they have been reared, and 

 in some cases become kings and queens of new colonies. But from 

 the enormous size to which some of their nests grow it seems 

 probable that these kings and queens may continue with the original 

 colony. 



In their mode of life they much resemble the true ants, which 

 are Hymenoptera. They live in large colonies. Their nests are 

 very various in form. Some species (Eutermes for example, 173) 

 build nests in trees, but in this case it seems probable that the nest is 

 connected by covered ways with an underground nest. Other species 

 which have their nests underground, build nests above the ground, 

 sometimes of curious shapes, the very large ones being three to ten 

 feet or more in height (fig. 28). The greater part of the nest 



