244 
The Philippine Journal of Science 
1921 
to the present time), Hozawa (1915), Thompson (1916 to the 
present time), and others. 
In spite of the many and extensive studies whichThave been 
made on termites, the ecological field is barely touched, and 
much remains to be done along systematic and economic lines. 
This is particularly true in the Tropics, where termite life 
reaches its climax, and most strikingly is it the case in the 
Philippine Archipelago, where systematic study has been only 
begun and little has been done along biological lines. 
Led but recently into this fascinating field of study through 
an investigation of the protozoan parasites which are found 
in the intestines of the more primitive genera, I regret that my 
study of the termites was not begun many years ago. They 
furnish an ideal combination of theoretical and practical interest. 
The strangeness of form and the variety in shape of the different 
species, particularly of their soldiers, the high development of 
caste and division of labor, the fascinatingly interesting glimpses 
of a complex social development based on instinct, the ever- 
present problem of lessening or preventing their inroads on 
wooden structures — all combine to make this one of the most 
compelling and profitable fields of insect study. This is 
particularly true in a region where the termites are all around 
one, where there is hardly a house but shows signs of their 
ravages, where any dead limb or stump, or piece of waste wood, 
or the very chair on which you sit may harbor a colony, perhaps 
of a species as yet unknown to science, at least interesting in all 
the details of its complex life and as yet practically unstudied. 
The Philippine termite fauna is apparently very rich. This 
might be expected when we consider the large number of islands, 
the great variety of habitat, and the luxuriance of plant life. 
In this set of Notes on Philippine Termites, I plan to work 
over the systematic field until all but the rarest species are 
thoroughly known. Ultimately, I hope to monograph our Philip- 
pine termites with full descriptions, illustrations, and keys. 
Such economic and biologic data as accumulate from time to 
time will also be published, and when the systematic work is 
on a firm basis I hope to publish the results of more extensive 
economic and ecologic investigations. 
CLASSIFICATION 
The classification of termites is in a superficially unsatis- 
factory condition due to various causes. This condition has 
resulted mainly from failure to follow more or less widely 
