TERMITES
of colonies that live in the ground, for such nests (Fig. 86 D) are connected with an underground nest by covered runways extending down the trunk of the tree.
The queens of nearly all the termites that lire in permanent nests attain an enormous size by the growth of the abdomen, the body becoming thus so huge that the royal
Fig. 86. Four common types of above-ground nests made by tropical termites
A, type of small mound nest, varying from a few inches to several feet in height. B, type of a large tower or steeple nest, reaching a height of 9 or 10 feet. C, a mushroom-shaped nest, made by certain African termites, from 3 to 16 inches high. D, a tree nest, showing the covered runway going down to the ground
female ls rendered completely helpless, and must be attended in all her wants by the workers. With such species the queen is housed in a special royal chamber which she never leaves. Her body becomes practically a great bag in which the eggs are produced, and so great is the fertility, of one of these queens that the ripened eggs continually issue from her body. It has been estimated that in one such species the queen lays four thousand eggs a day, and that in another species her daily output may be thirty thousand. Ten million eggs a year is pos-
[149]
