The Soul of the White Ant

Description:

With a Biographical Note by his Son & translated by Winifred De Kok. First English edition. Based on Marais' studies of the termites of South Africa, this fascinating work sheds light on the highly complex hierarchies and structures of termite communities. The author's years of research on the topic led him to believe that the termite mound functioned like the body of an organism, with different strata of termites acting to fulfil the same functions; the queen as the brain commanding the mound, scurrying workers as blood cells carrying resources, and the flight of the termite kings and queens as analogous to sexual reproduction.

Condition

8vo, orig. cloth, rubbed, a little scuffed/marked to front board. Good. Annotated throughout with marginal annotations by British naturalist R.C.H. Sweeney, who began work as an entomologist at the British Museum (Natural History), before taking a job as an entomologist in East Africa, in what is now Tanzania. He wrote several works on the natural history of Africa and his experiences and travels throughout the continent. Sweeney does not seem to be particularly impressed by the book, and his often humorously exasperated annotations provide an interesting commentary on the work.