246 77ie Philippine Journal of Science 1921 
retain the older names until a more mature knowledge of the 
group or further researches on the part of other workers or 
consensus of opinion makes necessary the radical changes in 
generic names involved. 
Several of the larger genera, Calotermes, Termes, and Eu- 
termes, contain quite distinct subgroups which it has been 
customary to consider as subgenera, the result being cumber- 
some tripartite names. The recent tendency has been toward 
considering these groups as genera whenever possible, a tenden- 
cy which makes for simplicity and greater ease in classification. 
With regard to families, the divisions of Holmgren seem to 
fulfill the requirements of a natural classification but the names 
Protermitidse, Mesotermitidse, and Metatermitidse, not being 
based on type genera, must ultimately be replaced, preferably by 
Kalatermitidse, Khinotermitidse, and Termitidse, respectively. 
With regard to the use of adult characters or those of soldiers 
for classification, I agree with Banks to the extent that I believe 
the divisions between larger groups and the ultimate classifica- 
tion of the group as a whole should be based on the characters 
of the adult as being phylogenetically the typical form ; but for 
practical purposes and for preliminary classification the char- 
acters of the soldiers are available and will be used by me, as 
indeed they are by him and all other systematic workers on 
termites. Were we to wait for the collection of the adults of 
the different species, we should be halted indefinitely in our 
study of Philippine forms, for the imago is unknown for nearly 
two-thirds of the species so far reported from the Philippines. 
Indeed, after some little collecting experience I am compelled 
to wonder at the almost marvelous success of Haviland in obtain- 
ing queens and winged adults under somewhat similar conditions. 
Hagen, 2 in his very complete survey of the literature dealing 
with termites, mentions three very early descriptions of Phil- 
ippine termites. I give them here because of their local histor- 
ical interest rather than for their scientific value. 
The first of these, and probably the first mention in literature 
of Philippine termites, is by Nieremberg 3 in 1635 and consists 
of a description of an “ant” from the Philippines under the 
name of sulum, which Hagen believes to be a termite. 
The second of these early notices of Philippine termites is 
2 Hagen, Linnea Ent. 9-12 (1855-1860). 
8 Nieremberg, Histor. nat. 1635, fol. lib. 13, cap. 13, p. 28.” Hagen, Lin- 
nea Ent. 10 (1855) 19. 
