35 



The winged forms are almost black in colour, with no very distinct 

 characters from several other species ; but both the soldiers and workers 

 are very white, with the head pale yellow. The soldier has a somewhat 

 pear-shaped head, with 16-jointed antennae; large, untoothed curved 

 sabre-shaped jaws, usually meeting or crossed at the tip, and a tubular 

 opening in front above the labrum, through which, when touched, he can 

 discharge a globule of white sticky fluid, by which the species is easily 

 distinguished from any other found about Sydney. It is met with in all , 

 sorts of situations, under logs, turning over stones, under dead bark on 

 tree trunks, in the roots or stems of old or damaged fruit trees, and in 

 woodwork of houses. When disturbed the workers always hurry away, 

 but the soldiers only retreat to the entrance of the galleries leading 

 downwards, where they stand with their jaws just projecting and their 

 antennae moving sideways. If the gap is in the wall of a regular nest, 

 the soldiers remain there until the workers return with grains of earth 

 which they place on the fracture, then turn round, void a drop of what 

 looks like liquid mud, hurry off, while the next one steps in front 

 of the soldiers and places its load on the top of the other, treats it 

 in the same manner, and is followed by another until the opening is 

 soon closed up, and the last one sees is the antennae of the soldiers wav- 

 ing behind the barricade. The rebuilding of the broken wall, if the 

 damage is serious, is only of a temporary character over the galleries 

 leading in to the nest ; they seem to understand that they cannot replace 

 the mass of clay that has been broken out at once ; but this is gradually 

 filled in by nocturnal workers who, in a very few days, will replace the 

 gap and level the surface down to its original shape. 



The Northern Milk Termite (Copfofermes [Termes] acinaciformis, 



Froggatt). 



This termite differs from the last in the perfect insect having hyaline 

 wings with light brown nervures, and is of a general light brown colour, 

 and clothed with fine hairs. It measures just over J an inch from the 

 front of the head to the tip of the closed wings. The soldier has the head 

 larger than the milk termite, broader behind, with 17-jointed antennae, 

 and large, curved, untoothed jaws, with a similar opening in the front 

 of the forehead. It is somewhat larger, and there is a curious pattern 

 down the centre of the abdomen that is very distinctive. 



The first lot of specimens were obtained by Mr. W. 0. Mansbridge, at 

 Hall's Creek, Kimberley, North-western Australia, with the information 

 that they were taken from the heart of a gum tree some 20 feet from the 

 ground, and had completely eaten the centre out, only a mere shell 

 remaining ; most of the trees in this district are eaten out in the same 

 manner by this white ant. This species was afterwards sent to me, from 

 the Kalgoorlie district, by my father in 1898. 



(Copfofermes [Termes] rafferyi, Wasmann). 

 This species was described by Wasmann from specimens of soldiers and 

 workers which Raffray sent to him, in an Appendix, " Description of q 



