BY G. F. HILL. 93 



foundations rest upon the surface, and are often used as the 

 homes of other termites ( T. ruhriceps, T. Tumeric and Eutermes 

 spp.), and of true amis [Opisthopsis respiciens, Camponotus Novce- 

 Hollandice, and Iridorayrmex delectus). The thickness of the 

 walls varies, even in the same termitarium, from two inches near 

 the summit, to twelve inches near the ground, or on the sides. 

 A few irregular, winding passages traverse the walls, and, in 

 them, may be found a few soldiers and workers. The interior is 

 composed of triturated wood moulded into curious forms. The 

 upper portion is open and easily broken, but lower down it is 

 more solid, lumpy, and folded. Near the ground, towards the 

 middle of the nest, this papiermache-like material is in thin 

 layers, forming more or less horizontal chambers. This is the 

 " nursery." It contains the queen, eggs, larvae, nymphse, and a 

 few soldiers and workers. The queen is generally found about 

 three inches from the ground, and about the middle of the nest, 

 in a low domed cell with more or less level floor, from which she 

 cannot escape. The eggs are removed by the workers, as soon 

 as they are laid, to surrounding cells, and the young are reared 

 still further from the queen. 



The interior is generally separated from the walls by a space 

 varying from \ inch to 3 inches, and is connected, in certain 

 parts, by threads or a network of finely drawn out composition. 

 In termitaria having no portion of a stump or tree within their 

 walls, the woody interior rests upon a concave surface of earthy 

 material, pierced by a few small passages. The lower portion of 

 the interior is fairly dry, but the summit is moist and viscous. 



In the Stapleton district, where the predominant termitaria 

 are those of Eutermes triodicE, there are many abandoned mounds, 

 apparently of that species, on the heavy grey-soil flats at the 

 foot of the hills. In breaking these down, one occasionally finds 

 large nests of Coptotermes acinaciformis built within them, and 

 resting on a foundation of solid earthy material, twenty to thirty 

 inches thick, penetrated by a few passages into the surrounding 

 soil (Plates xvii.-xviii.). 



The occurrence of a male in the queen's cell is very rare indeed. 

 Complementary queens have not been found by the writer, but 



