BY WALTER W. FROGGATT. 423 



Texas; they are known in Mexico; and Osten-Sacken"^ has studied 

 the habits of those in CaHfornia. In the Southern States along 

 the Mississippi they do a great deal of damage at times, while in 

 1879 Hagenf reported that they appeared in great numbers, at 

 Cambridge, Mass., but disappeared the following season. The 

 most northern limit of the white ant is Manitoba, whence one 

 species (Termopis occidentalis) has been recorded by Treherne. % 



To give an accurate account of their geographical distribution 

 in Australia is no easy matter, as much of the country has been 

 very cursorily examined as regards its insect fauna; and few of 

 the naturalists on overland expeditions have collected white ants 

 unless they were very much in evidence. However, all along the 

 eastern coast line, which is mainly forest country, termites are 

 plentiful; in southern Gippsland they are a well-known pest, and 

 more northward in the Goulburn Valley (Victoria) we have 

 several accounts of their attacks upon vines and fruit trees. In 

 the northern parts of Victoria several species are found, but never 

 in great numbers, and seldom forming distinctive nests. Coming 

 into New South Wales, in the Shoalhaven district there are two 

 common species constructing nests, many of the larger nests being 

 from six to seven feet in height. These tall nests are dotted all 

 over the fiats, but are seldom met with on the higher hills; they 

 are formed by our common yellow-headed termite, which though 

 common in the neighbourhood of Sydne}^ does not make any kind 

 of nest, but lives under logs and stones or in old timber. North 

 of Sydney, towards Newcastle, white ants are common among the 

 dead timber, the arboreal Eutermes building their nests up the 

 trees being the prevailing species. A resident of Cape Hawke 

 informs me that they are \'ery bad in that neighbourhood. I have 

 several species from Uralla where there are plenty of the yellow - 



* G. E. Osten-:?aoken. Observations on Termes found in California. 

 Proc. Boston, ."roc. xix. p. 72, 1877- 



+ A. H. Hagen. Notes on a Great Cloud of Termites appearing in 1878* 

 Proc. Bost. 8oc. N. H. xx. p. 118, 1879. 



i H. S. Treherne. Notes on species observed in Manitoba. Proc. Bost* 

 Soc. N. H. xix. p. 74, 1877- 



