428 AUSTRALIAN TERMITID.E, 



there is nothing but coarse gravel of which the large nests of the 

 common reddish-brown ant {Iridoyyiyrmex 'purpureus), also common 

 in this district, and which construct large underground chambers, 

 are wholly composed. 



The foundation of the termite nest rests upon the suiface and 

 is complete in itself, and if you cut one round the base and then 

 insert a lever under the edge it is very easy to overturn the whole 

 nest; underneath the ground is smooth and hard with only a few 

 insignificant passages leading below. 



Under normal conditions the enveloping earthy walls contain 

 very few insects, though there are always a few winding passages 

 running upwards and traversing them at irregular intervals; upon 

 the removal of this outer wall you expose a pyriform mass of 

 roughly granulated woody sulistance in contact with the covering 

 wall at the base, but gradually receding from it tow-ard the apex, 

 where a space of several inches divides them. The summit of the 

 mass on the outside can be easily l>roken off in lumps, but as you 

 cut into it it becomes harder and more solid; galleries run all 

 round these masses and form irregular mazes of roadways lower 

 down, giving the termites access to all parts of the structure. 

 This portion of the nest (all the inner portion enclosed in the 

 earthy dome) is organic and is chiefly composed of triturated wood 

 which has at one time l:)een gnawed up by the termites and then 

 evacuated by them; each of these granulated lumps shows a dis- 

 tinctly foliated structure as if it had been formed in thin coats; 

 no doubt when the fresh wood supplies are used up, this part of 

 the nest is again eaten. 



Immediately in the centre of the nest, about six inches above 

 the base, is a rounded mass about as big as a man's head, formed 

 of very thin layers of woody matter like brown paper, full of fine 

 chambers and passages, the layers very close together and folding 

 round each other towards the centre. This is the "nursery" of the 

 termitarium, and generally contains thousands or rather millions 

 of delicate white larvte, many of them no larger than a pin's head. 

 I have never seen any signs of fungi growing in these nurseries as 

 mentioned by many writers, but the walls have a curious mottled 



