736 AUSTRALIAN TERMITID^E, 



caught hold with their enormous jaws you could pull their heads 

 off before they would let go." 



Later on in the season my father sent the following note (Nov. 

 20th) with a tube containing some more specimens of this species: 

 " My attention was drawn to a little lizard in front of my door 

 very busy picking up something, which turned out to be these 

 white ants. I had not seen any white ants for some months in 

 any of the nests, but there had been a slight shower of rain in . 

 the morning. The ground was perfectly clear of timber or stumps 

 and dry and dusty for a considei'able depth, but these little miners 

 were boring up from beneath and coming to the surface to carry 

 down bits of grass lying upon the surface. Little black ants were 

 also carrying them off as they appeared; by the time I had filled 

 the tube they had all disappeared under ground again. I took a 

 watering can and sprinkled the same ground next morning, but 

 could not induce any more to come up, so they must know the 

 difference between natural rain and irrigation " 



Termes Turneri, n.sp. 



(Plate XXXIV., figs. 8, ^a.) 



General colour dark castaneous, head darkest, antennae brown, 

 the basal portion of each segment lighter coloured ; legs and 

 chitinous bands of undersurface of the abdomen light brown ; 

 wings fuscous; nervures darker. Length to tip of wings 5, to tip 

 of body '2h lines. Head longer than broad, rounded behind, 

 flattened on the summit, forehead arcuate; eyes large, circular, 

 projecting well out from the side of the head; ocelli round, in a 

 line with the front margin of the eyes; antennj^ 13-jointed, short, 

 slender, and very hairy, springing from a circular cleft in front of 

 the eyes; Lst short, stout, cylindrical; 2nd very short; 3rd-5th 

 short, rounded and thicker; 6th-12th larger, almost as broad as 

 long, rounded at the base, truncate at apex; L3th rounded at the 

 extremity; clypeus large, convex, lobed, truncate in front, rounded 

 behind; labrum large, projecting, rounded at the tip; jaws with 

 two sharp teeth at tip, lower part forming a broad flattened edge, 

 arcuate in the centre. Prothorax not as wide as the head. 



