CHAPTER VIII. 
Order ISOPTERA (I-sop'te-ra). 
The Termites or White-ants. 
The members of this order are social insects. Each species 
consists of several distinct castes, of which only the “ Kings ” 
and the “ Queens ” are winged. These have four long, nar¬ 
row wings, which are somewhat leathery in structure, and 
which are furnished with numerous but more or less indistinct 
veins. The two pairs of wings are similar in form and struc¬ 
ture, and are laid flat upon the back when not in use. The 
mouth-parts are formed for biting. The metamorphosis is in¬ 
complete. 
The name of this order is from two Greek words: isos, 
equal; and pteron, a wing. It refers to the fact that the two 
pairs of wings are similar in form and structure. 
The wings of the Termites (Ter'mites), although really 
broad when compared to the size of the body, appear 
narrow on account of their great length, being in many 
cases more than twice as long as the entire body. 
The order includes only a single family. 
Family Termitid,e (Ter-mit'i-das). 
The Termites or White-ants. 
These interesting insects are not Ants, nor at all related 
to them ; but they have been thus called because they have 
certain social habits that are similar to those of true Ants. 
They are more abundant in the tropics than here; and 
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