172 SOME SOI III INDIAN INSECTS, ETC. [CHAP. XIX. 



are unoccupied lor a short period. Contrary to popular belief, 

 there are several different species with entirely different habits, 

 and those found in houses are not as a rule the same as those which 

 throw up mounds Outside. Some termites make their nest in the 

 walls or under the foundation and these often do damage by 

 running out mud galleries and eating matting, carpets, books and 

 furniture. Other species make their nest wholly inside dead wood 

 such as roof-beams which they excavate leaving only a thin 

 exterior, so that an apparently substantial beam proves to be 

 nothing but a shell of mud and dust. Termites in a building are 

 usually difficult to deal with and no exact rules can be laid down 

 because the habits differ in the different species ; as a rule. 

 howi ver, it is necessarj to destroj the nest and this is best done 

 by pumping poisonous fumes into the galleries. Crude oil emul- 

 sion. Copper Sulphate solution, or similar repellents may some- 

 times prove of temporary assistance for protective purposes, but 

 instruction in the first instance, and the creosoting or other 

 protective soaking of all woodwork is the best guarantee 

 injury to buildings by these insects. A thorough soaking in 

 Sodium Arsenite and subsequent painting over with coal tar will 

 be found effectual for most constructional timber. 



Crickets are often a nuisance by their shrill chirping and by 

 their habit of biting holes in clothing. Thi ometimes lie 



trapped in tins or basins into which they jump during the night, 

 but their omnivorous tastes make them difficult to destroy by 

 poisons and it is not always easy to locate them exactlj 1>\ their 

 chirruping. However, they may often be dislodged in the daytime 

 by moving furniture and hunted down and killed by hand. 



Fish-insects do considerable damage to books, papers and 

 pictures by gnawing holes in the paper. It is supposed that they 

 extract nutriment from the size and in confinement they thrive mi 

 paper covered with a thin layer of llour-paste. Hooks kept in 

 open shelves should be painted over at least once a year with Book 

 Solution made by dissolving half-an-ounce each of Corrosive 

 Sublimate and Carbolic Acid in one pint of methylated spirit ; the 

 liquid is a deadly poison and care should be taken not to get it on 

 the hands; it should be painted with a long-handled brush over 

 the outside and inside of the covers of the books and is an effectual 

 preservative against all attacks of insects which would otherwise 

 gnaw the binding. Books and papers kept in closed almirahs or 

 boxes may be effectually preserved by keeping Hake Naphthaline 

 with them ; Naphthaline evaporates fairly rapidly and requires 

 renewal regularly, as it is of course merelj •> deterrent whose efficacy 

 depends on the fait that it is volatilizing. To preserve pictures 



