

qiient intervals over large pasture tracts, where it must feed on the 

 roots of grass and other herbage. It has also been C9,rried to other 

 countries and is a common and often very injurious enemy of build- 

 ings and libraries in Europe. A closely allied and ecjually injurious 

 European species (Tei-ine.'i lucifugus) has also been brought to this 

 country in exchange for ours, but compared with our own species is 

 somewhat rare though already widely distributed. In this country 

 serious damage to buildings from the white ant has not been of com- 

 mon occurrence, especially in the North, except in some notable 

 instances. In Europe our species has caused greater damage, and 

 some years ago gained access to one of the Imperial hothouses at 

 Vienna, and in spite of all efforts to save the building it was ulti- 

 mately necessary to tear it down and replace it with an iron structure. 

 In this country instances are on record of very serious damage to 

 books and papers. An accumulation of books and papers belonging 

 to the State of Illinois was thor- 

 oughly ruined by their attacks. A 

 school library in South Carolina, 

 which had been left closed for the 

 summer, was found on being opened 

 in the autumn to be completely eaten 

 out and rendered valueless. In the 

 Department of Agriculture an accu- 

 mulation of records and documents 

 stored in a vault which was not 

 thoroughly dr}^, and allowed to re- 

 main undisturbed for several years, 

 on examination proved to be thor- 

 oughly mined and ruined by white 

 ants. Humboldt, on the authority of Hagen, accounts for the rarity 

 of old books in New Spain by the frcipiency of the destructive work 

 of these insects. 



Numerous instances of damage to underpinning of buildings and 

 to timbers are also on record. The flooring of one of the largest 

 sections of the United States National Museum was for some years 

 annually undermined and weakened by a very large colony of these 

 pests which could not be located, and finally the authorities solved 

 the problem by replacing the wood floor with one of cement. A few 

 years ago it was found necessary to tear down and rebuild three 

 frame buildings in Washington in consequence of the work of this 

 insidious foe. 



Damage of the sort mentioned has occurred as far nortli as Boston, 

 but, as stated, greatly increases as one approaches the Tropics, where 

 the warmth and moisture are especially suited to the development 

 and multiplication of this insect. There houses and furniture are 



Fig. Z.— Term es fl aril lei^: rr, newly-hatched 

 l;irva ; h, same from below ; c, egg— all 

 enlarged to same scale (original). 



