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a tussock of spinifex grass. Later on I received several tubes containing 

 this species from my father, who collected them in the Kalgoorlie district, 

 Western Australia, so that they probably have a wide range over the 

 interior. The soldier has the head and jaws bright reddish brown, and the 

 upper surface of the thorax brownish; the legs spiny; abdomen covered 

 with short hairs ; and measures J of an inch long. The head is very large 

 and broad, rounded behind and on the sides to base of the jaws, which are 

 very stout at the base, curving round to a slender point, with a large 

 angular tooth above the tip of the small rounded labrum; the antennae 

 17-jointed, long and slender. 



The Large White Ant (Termes errahiindus, Froggatt). 



The soldier is ^ an inch in length, with a bright ferruginous head; 

 black jaws, with all but the abdomen tinted with yellow; the latter as 

 usual iDeing dull white. The head is a little longer than broad, rounded 

 behind right up to the base of the jaws, with the antennae well round the 

 :side of the head, and not so close to the jaws as usual, and are composed 

 of twenty-five slender joints. The labrum is large, rounded at the apex ; 

 the jaws short, stout, rounded and curving over each other at the ex- 

 tremity, with a large angular tooth about a third of the distance from the 

 tip. The worker is larger than the male, with a pale yellow short rounded 

 head furnished with very powerful jaws. 



This is our largest species of the genus, and is common all over North 

 Queensland, Northern Territory, and the north-west part of Western 

 Australia. It gets into the wood work of houses, into the station store- 

 houses, and is responsible for most of the damage of this kind in North 

 Queensland. The real nest of this species (if it constructs one) is 

 unknown, and they are usually found in small colonies under logs and 

 timber. Mr. Mansbridge, writing from Hall's Creek, Kimberley, Western 

 Australia, says, " These termites were taken from a piece of timber lying 

 on the ground; they are very destructive, and will in a very short time 

 destroy deal boards (to which they are very partial) if left in a dark 

 corner or shady spot." 



The Dark Brown White Ant (Termes perniger, Froggatt). 



The winged forms, or regular nest of this species are unknown, but the 

 very distinctive colour and the immense jaws of the soldier easily dis- 

 tinguish it from any other known Australian termite. 



The soldier measures about J of an inch in length, rather stout and 

 broad in proportion; the head is black, with ferruginous jaws tipped 

 with the former colour; the rest of the body and legs dark brown. The 

 head is large, broad, rounded on the sides to the base of the jaws, which are 

 as long as the head, broad at the base, curving round like a pair of sickle 

 blades, crossing each other when at rest, with a slender pointed tooth 

 standing sharply out in a line with the apex of the labrum. The antennae 

 long and slender, composed of seventeen joints; the labrum large, rounded 

 to the tip. The prothorax is small, flattened and wrinkled; the legs long, 



