393 



avec des soldats à Karadi. Récolté par Mr. et Mrs. W. 0. Alcock, 

 auxquels je dois aussi les notices suivantes sur cet insecte : 



« June 1905, at Kaladgi. It was the day after a good shower of 

 rain and the Termites had thrown up small heaps — 1 to 2 inches 

 high — of earth on a level spot. Apparently they do not make 

 hills, and they do not seem to throw up thèse little heaps exceptât 

 times of rain. This is a district of very scanty rainfall. The little 

 heaps of earth were of a kind of reddish gravelly texture; the 

 earth was cohérent. On taking up the heap, which came away ail 

 in one pièce, a hole was seen in the lump of earth removed, and 

 in the latter hole were found many white ants. The workers were 

 very active; some were seen coming up to the mouth of the hole in 

 the ground, now uncovered, and retiring when they found the 

 upper portion of earth had been removed. » 



« March 1906, atHuvin Hippargi. 



We found the same little heaps of earth thrown up. The hillocks 

 ran to 3 inches high or less and shewed holes with a spiral section. 

 Near thèse heaps were lines of small holes in the ground from 6 to 

 12 inches apart, whithout heaps to cover them, leading in varions 

 directions and extending for hundred of yards, ail in the same 

 reddish gravelly soil. We dug in places and where the small heaps 

 of earth firstseen were found some fungus-gardens. Thèse are of a 

 peculiar convoluted structure like shells, more open, more flat, 

 not sponge like with holes as in the common Termes obesiis Ramb. ; 

 in fact formed something like such convolutions which are inside 

 the human ear. They are small, being perhaps 2 inches in diameter, 

 and not more than 2/3 of an inch high. » 



« August 1908, near Muddebihal. I found small hills in a reddish 

 soil; every nest built round a particular kind of thornybush. 



The fungus-gardens were not very deeply placed, and were of 

 the above described structure; they ceased after digging a very 

 short way down. The soldiers of this species are extremely pugna- 

 cious. As soon as the nest was at ail opened the noise of their 

 striking the fungus-gardens they rested upon began and continued 

 without a break, like a rustling of dead leaves, hnt with the soimd 

 of separate blows. 



This place is on the junction line of red soils and black soils and 

 it was striking that ail hills within the limit of the black and brown 

 soil belonged to the commonplace species {T. obcsus), while it was 

 only in red soil that thèse pugnacious termites (T. Estherœ) were to be 

 found. » 



Ces observations renferment plusieurs détails intéressants : la 

 localisation très marquée des nids de cette espèce dans un sol 

 ferrugineux, la forme particulière de ses jardins de champi- 



