case, not founded by the royalties thus bred up, but by a portion of a pre-existent colony which, migrating from the parent nest, takes this method of augmenting its numbers.[3] In the termite nest, as amongst ants, all members work for the good of all. The soldiers, which are furnished with large heads and long scythe-like jaws, take upon themselves the duties of attack and defence, though in some species they only do so when the enemy is of a formidable nature, leaving unimportant foes to their less specialised companions. These are equal to such inglorious tasks, but when the colony is invaded by hostile members of their own race, or by some fierce ant enemy, they retreat into the inner recesses, leaving the danger and honour to others. Such an enemy is _Cremastogaster scutellaris_—or call him Cremas—who, though never invaded by the white ants, enters their nest—or termitary, to use the learned word—intent upon massacre. Under such circumstances “the soldiers place themselves, with gaping mandibles, waiting for any ant that may come within reach. They then snap their jaws rapidly, shearing off antennæ and legs, tearing the abdomen, or even cutting the ants in two. The soldiers’ mandibles are seen to act like extremely sharp shears.”[3] This should be somewhat discouraging for the ants, and, indeed, they seem rather shy of the soldiers, avoiding their heads, and “only daring occasionally to attempt to lop off their mandibles.” Their more considered method, which they adopt whenever practicable, is to approach them from behind, and bite their abdomens, the soldiers, on their part, endeavouring to protect this vulnerable portion—and it is a fairly large one—of their anatomy by creeping backwards under pieces of wood or stones, from which the head, with its murderous jaws, is alone allowed to project. In these encounters the advantage does not seem to lie so decidedly with the ants as to explain their conduct in making the invasion, since peace, according to Professor Grassi’s observations, is usually concluded “after about an hour’s conflict, with a certain number of killed and wounded on both sides.”[3] As a result, however, it would appear that the ants often remain in possession of a portion of the nest, whilst the original occupants have to be contented with what remains. If this, therefore, is their object, the invaders have carried the day, but if, as seems likely under natural conditions, they should prefer to return to their own home, they can hardly be said to have done so. Information seems wanting on these points.