BIOLOGY OF THE TERMITES OE THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 37 
galleries in the wood or to the subterranean passages of the nests, 
At Falls Church, Va., in 1912 it was not until March 11, in 1913. 
February 20, and in 1914, March .23 that signs of activity were 
observed in colonies of flavipes. Nymphs of the first form with 
"short wings" (Fritz Muller) or "wing pads" (Hagen) were present 
on March 11, 1912. At this time the wing pads were well developed, 
being about two and one-half times the length of the segment from 
which they originated, and had a yellowish tinge. The antennae 
consisted of from 16 to 17 segments, excluding the base, and the line 
of demarcation between the basal segments was less distinct. On 
March 29, 1912, the ocelli were visible in the nymphs; antennae, 
head, and thorax were acquiring a tinge of yellowish-brown, and the 
compound eyes were becoming pigmented — a reddish-brown. On 
April 18, 1912, and April 8, 1913, at Falls Church, Va., nymphs of 
the first form when fully developed and ready for the final molt 
could be readily distinguished by the opaqueness of the elongated 
wing pads, the filmy, yellowish-brown, loosening skin, which be- 
comes separated from the body, particularly posteriorly, and the 
reddish-brown pigmentation to the compound eyes. (PI. VIII, 
fig. 1, a.) The nymphs gradually increase in size and pass through a 
series of molts and quiescent stages until the final molt, when the 
wings are unfolded. Packard, who figures ° the stages in the growth 
of the wing in flavipes, states that the wings are simply expansions. 
During the latter part of April, 1912, nymphs with short wing pads, 
or those of the second form (Lespes) (PL VIII, fig. 3, b), were found in 
colonies. Their antennae had from 1 6 to 17 segments. These nymphs 
appear to be more active than nymphs of the first form and have 
but slight pigmentation of the compound eye. 
During the final molt — which occurred from April 18 to 27, 1912, 
April 8 to 17, 1913, and April 22 to May 2, 1914, at Falls Church, Va., 
in case of the nymphs of the first form (flavipes) — nymphs of both the 
first and second forms pass through a " quiescent stage " b (Pis. X and 
XI), which closely approaches the pupal stage of insects with com- 
plete metamorphosis. This quiescent stage apparently serves the 
same purpose as the pupal stage, since the most marked changes, 
both external and internal, take place during this molt ; it is, however, 
of short duration. On April 18, 1912, the first nymphs (flavipes) in 
this stage were observed in the outer layers c of a decaying stump . All 
of the nymphs in this colony were fully developed, but very few had 
o Packard, A. S. A textbook of entomology. New York, 1903, p. 140. 
& Strickland, E. H. Loc. cit. 
c Larvae or nymphs in the quiescent state are usually to be found isolated in small 
but deep, transverse conical nitches or shelves in the nest where they are not liable to 
disturbance by the movements of the other members of the colony. Possibly they 
seek out such secluded places, usually near the outlying galleries, beforehand, or may 
be carried there while helpless, by the workers. Clusters of eggs are also found in 
similar nitches. 
