Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/183

* TERMINI IMERESE. 143 TERN. 148; in 1901, 18,050. Termini Imeiese, the Koman Ternia; Himerenses, was founded by the Carthaginians in B.C. 407, after the destruetiun of the ancient Uimera (q.v.). the ruins of which are still to be seen. It had become largely Hel- lenized when it was captured by the Romans in the l''irst I'unic War. TER'MINUS (Lat., boundary, limit). A Koman divinity presiding oer public and private boundaries. His only sanctuary was in the Tem- ple of Jupiter, on the Capitol, where he was honored in the form of a boundary stone, above which was an opening in the roof, that his rites might be performed, as ritual required, in the open air. According to the divergent theories as to the Roman religion. Terminus may be re- garded as an early god who later yielded to the growth of the worship of Jupiter, or as a later schematizing offshoot from the original concep- tion of -Jupiter as the guardian of all boundaries. The Tcrniinalia seems to have been simply a festi- val of neighbors at their common boundary lines. We also hear of annual sacrifices at the frontier (real or assumed), but dedications to Terminus are unknown before the days of the Empire. TERMITE (from Lat. termes, tannes, wood- worm; connected with tercre, Gk. relpav, teirein, Lith. triti, trinti, OChurch Slav, trycti, triiti, to rub). Any one of the insects of the order Isoptera. comprising those forms known as white ants. They are not at all related to the true ants, but their general appearance and the fact that they live in societies have given them the popular name. For an account of the community life and of the different castes of the termites, see Insect, paragraph on Social Insects. The order Isoptera, which is most numerously represented in the tropics, includes only the single family Termitidte, from which the com- mon name 'termite' is derived. They undergo practically no transformation. The yovmg when it hatches from the egg is an active, crawling AMERICAN NORTHKUN WHITE ANT [Terrnen ffavipes). 1. adult raalo; 2. worker; 3. soldier; 4, supplementary queen. (After Marlatt.) creature with six legs, much resembling the adult except in size. All species are social, and the communities consist of both wingless and winged individuals. The males and females which are winged liave very long membranous longitudinally veined wings which when in re- pose lie Hat along the back, extending far beyond the tip of the abdomen. The Iiind wings are of nearly the same shape and size as the front wings, and across the base of each wing is a line of weakness indicating where the wing breaks off after the nuptial llight. The nests, which are often built of earth, are hard and persistent, and are sometimes more than 12 feet high. These 'ant-hills' are divided into chambers and galleries, and there are generally two or three roofs within the dome-shaped interior. The thick walls are perforated by passages leading to the nurseries and storehouses. Termites sometimes attack the woodwork of houses and soon reduce the thickest timbers to a mere shell. Those species which live in trees sometimes construct nests of great size, like sugar casks, of particles of gnawed wood cemented together and so strongly attached to the branches as not to be shaken down even by vio- lent storms. In the United States there are comparatively few species, and only one (Termes flavipcs) which has a northward range. This is the com- mon white ant found frequently living in the joists and other large timbers of houses. In these they make innumerable tunnels, running usually with the grain of the wood, so that, al- though a great deal of the substance of the wood is devoured, the main longitudinal fibres support the building structure for a long time. In fact, their presence in many houses would not be noticed except for the spring flight of the winged males and females. This species is probably native to Xorth America, although it was acci- dentally introduced into Europe. A species known as Termes tubiformans occurs in Texas, and makes tubes around the grass stems and stems of other plants, while their nests are placed deep in the ground. The origin of a new termite colony occurs after the nuptial flight when the female's (queen's) wings break off; her bod.v swells with eggs, grows enormously, and egg-laying commences. Unlike the true ants or any of the other social Hymenoptera, the young require very little care from the work- ers. Just as with the true ants and other social insects, there are many termitophilous or guest insects to be found in the nests of termites. The damage done by termites in tropical regions is very great. In Central America it is almost im- possible to erect wooden telegraph poles which will hist for any length of time, as they are tun- neled by these insects and fall very soon. Con- sult: Sharp, C'!mhrid(je Xatiinil Ilistori/, vol. v. (London. 180.5) ; Howard, The Insect Book (New York, ln02). TERN (Dan. tcrnn, Iccl. perna, tern), or Se.'I- SwALLOW. One of a group, the Sternina-. of small gulls (q.v.), found in most parts of the world, and essentially gulls in habits and appearance. About 75 species are known, varying in size from the Caspian tern [Sterna tschegrava) , which is nearly two feet long and four and one- half feet across the wings, down to the dainty least tern (Sterna antillnrum). which is only nine inches long. The typical color of the terns is blue-gray above, white beneath, and black on the crown, but one or two species are pure white, some are black and white, some sooty brown, and some almost wholly black. The