OBSERVATIONS ON SOME SOUTH AFRICAN TERMITES. 367 



Such nest-sites are even more common in the thick fringe 

 of bush bordering the sea-shore, and upon the whole they are 

 so abundant up to six or eight miles inland as to alter the 

 regular contour of every slope and ridge ; a feature readily 

 observed because of the vast sugar-cane fields now covering 

 the country, once in part or wiiolly bush. Owing to the 

 rapidly undulating nature of the country it follows that these 

 nest-sites nearly always occur upon hill-sides, and for this 

 reason they appear very much larger Avhen approached from 

 below than from above. It has, however, been noticed that 

 the upper side of a ridge is more favoured than the crest or 

 lower down the slope ; hence, many a long ridge of gentle 

 gradient when approached at right angles appears serrate, 

 so rapidly does one nest-site succeed another down its length. 

 The inhabited portion is iisually at the front apex of the site, 

 and, by passing up a slope along the line of nest-sites, one 

 progresses over so many huge steps of an earthen ladder 

 (PL XXVI, fig. 16). 



The cleai-est cut example of a simple nest-site was found in 

 front of a marine residence at Scottburgh. This was originally 

 overgrown by strelitzia and phoenix, but had been cleared 

 and surmounted by a garden-seat. This mound was regularly 

 rounded, with a more or less flattened top 8 ft. in diameter. 

 Approached from above, it was 5 ft. high but fell away in 

 front 10 to 12 ft. The sides were fairly acute and the 

 smallest diameter at the base 15 ft. The presence of a living 

 community in this rampart was demonstrated. 



The conclusion arrived at regarding the paucity of isolated 

 modern nests of T. natalensis away from old nest-sites 

 along the Natal coast is that such is due to the better and 

 very ample opportunities for nest-making which these ancient 

 sites afford. 



The ordinary or modern mound is always perforated by 

 almost vertical galleries which ramify upwards throughout it. 

 The arrangement of these is complex and disorderly, they are 

 large and either circular or elliptical in section, some of the 

 latter presenting a long diameter of 4 to 6 in. All reach 



