PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 307 
the first class of perfect societies; I shall now relate to you some further 
pasa 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 Bordeaux. The fullest account 
hitherto given of their history is that of Mr, Smeathman, in the Phi/oso- 
phical 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 Bordeaux and 
Ceylon. The white ants, though they belong to the Neuropiera order, 
borrow their instinct from the hymenopterous social tribes, and in con- 
junction with the ants (/ormica) connect the two orders. Their societies 
consist of five descriptions of individuals — workers or larvae—nymphs or 
pupa —neuters or soldiers—males and females. 
1. The workers or larvae, answering to the hymenopterous neuters, are 
the most numerous and at the same time the most active part of the com- 
munity, 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 larve 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. 3 
2. The nymphs or pupz. These were not noticed by Smeathman, who 
mistook the neuters for them: they differ in nothing from the larve, 
and probably are equally active, except that they have rudiments of wings, 
or rather the wings folded up in cases (pterothece). They were first 
observed by Latreille ; nor did they escape the author of the MS. above 
alluded to, who mistook them for a different kind of larvee. 
3. The neuters, erroneously called by Smeathman pupzx. 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 distin- 
guishable 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 Hymenoptera 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 labours 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 may then be distinguished from the blind larvee, pupae, and 
heuters, by their large and prominent eyes.* 
1 The neuters in all respects bear a stronger analogy to the larve than to the 
Perfect insects; and, after all, may possibly turn out to be lary, perhaps of the 
x 2 
