200 
ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 
The termites, like many species of true ants, are 
divided into two distinct castes, the workers and the 
soldiers, If a breach is made in the walls of the dome 
the soldiers rush out to meet the enemy, and fight 
desperately with any enemy that they may find. Here, 
again, I cannot do better than quote Buchner’s epitome 
of facts ~ 
If the assailant withdraws beyond their reach and inflicts no 
further injury, they retire within their dwelling in the courso 
of half an hour, as though they had come to the conclusion 
that the enemy who had done the mischief had fled. Scarcely 
have the soldiers disappeared when crowds of workers appear 
in the breach, each with a quantity of ready-made mortar in its 
mouth. As soon as they arrive they stick this mortar round 
the open place, and direct the whole operation with such swift- 
ness and facility that in spite of their great number they never 
hinder each other, nor are obliged to stop. During this spec- 
tacle of apparent restlessness and confusion the observer is 
agreeably surprised to see arising a regular wall, filling up the 
gap. During the time that the workers are thus busied the 
soldiers remain within the nest, with the exception of a few, 
which walk about apparently idly, never touching the mortar, 
among the hundreds and thousands of workers. Nevertheless 
one of them stands on guard close to the wall which is being 
built. It turns gently each way in turn, lifting its head at in- 
tervals of one or two minutes to strike the building with its 
heavy mandibles, making the before- mentioned crackling noise. 
This signal is immediately answered by a loud rustling from the 
interior of the nest and from all the subterranean passages 
and holes. There is no doubt that this noise arises from the 
workers, for as often as the sign is given they work with in- 
creased energy and speed. A renewal of the attack instan- 
taneously changes the scene. 4 At the first stroke/ says 
Smeathman, ‘ the workers run into the many tunnels and pas- 
sages which run through the building, and this happens so 
quickly that they seem regularly to vanish. In a few seconds 
they are all gone, and in their stead appear the soldiers once 
more, as numerous and as pugnacious as before. If they find 
no enemy, they turn back slowly into the interior of the hill, 
and immediately the mortar-laden workers again appear, and 
among them a few soldiers, which behave just as on the first 
occasion. So one can have the pleasure of seeing them work 
and light in turn, as often as one chooses; and it will be found 
