xv, i Uichanco: Philippine Mound-building Termites 61 
porting the series of fungus gardens and of being the main 
prop that prevents the outer shell of the nest from collapsing. 
At least six different forms of adult individuals are present 
in the nest; namely, the king, the queen, the large and the small 
workers, and the large and the small soldiers. Each caste has 
a distinct function in the nest; and, due to the similarity of the 
termites to the true ants in community economy, they are often 
termed “white ants.” The various castes present in each nest 
are the offspring of a single pair, which has settled down and 
mated after swarming. 
The swarming of winged termites occurs after sunset or late 
in the evening, usually during the months between May and 
September. The swarms are composed of individuals of both 
sexes, the males for some reason far outnumbering the females. 
Several counts made on certain swarms of Tevmes ( Macro - 
termes) philippinensis Oshima, in 1915, gave an average of 
less than five females to a hundred males. These swarms come 
from well-established anay nests where, at certain seasons of the 
year, winged individuals are produced. On certain nights, prob- 
ably as a result of favorable climatic conditions, large swarms 
of winged termites are observed to occur at the same time in 
widely separated localities; for example, the campus of the 
College of Agriculture and the municipalities of Los Banos and 
Calamba. These insects are exceedingly feeble fliers and, for 
this reason, cannot travel far on their wings; they could not 
possibly have reached these very distant places from a nest 
located at any one spot. The more logical inference is that 
there occurs a simultaneous swarming from nests over a large 
area. 
An enormous number of individuals composes a swarm; but 
a great many of them perish in their conjugal flight by being 
preyed upon by their numerous enemies — principally bats, birds, 
lizards, and ants. After shedding their wings, the couples run 
about, the male following the female by clinging fast with his 
mouth parts to the posterior extremity of her body, until they 
finally succeed in locating a fit spot in which to build their nest. 
This is usually under a stone or a piece of wood on moist ground, 
where they dig a small hollow in which they establish themselves. 
Some observers maintain that a group of wandering workers 
of the same species must fall in the way of each newly mated 
couple and help it establish the colony ; but more sound evidence 
is necessary definitely to prove this assertion. The paired in- 
dividuals coming down from the swarm and building a nest go 
