﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  313 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  its 
  publication, 
  indeed, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  

   Koenig's 
  paper 
  has 
  remained 
  practically 
  unknown, 
  and 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  obscurity 
  of 
  the 
  publication 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  appeared. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  

   that 
  the 
  Transactions 
  of 
  this 
  Berlin 
  Natural 
  Histor}^ 
  Society 
  appeared 
  

   in 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  edition 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  troublous 
  times 
  

   that 
  succeeded 
  on 
  the 
  Continent 
  effectually 
  reduced 
  almost 
  to 
  vanishing 
  

   point 
  the 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  copies 
  extant. 
  Be 
  this 
  as 
  it 
  may, 
  this 
  Journal 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  extremely 
  scarce 
  nowadays, 
  and 
  I 
  myself 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  come 
  across 
  a 
  single 
  copy. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  no 
  copy 
  exists 
  

   in 
  India 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  copy 
  in 
  England 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  Library 
  

   of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society 
  of 
  London. 
  This 
  copy 
  has 
  formed 
  the 
  original 
  from 
  

   which 
  I 
  have 
  made 
  my 
  translation 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  extremely 
  indebted 
  to 
  

   Professor 
  and 
  Mrs. 
  Maxwell 
  Lefroy 
  for 
  making 
  and 
  sending 
  me 
  a 
  manus- 
  

   cript 
  copy 
  from 
  this 
  volume, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  Professor 
  J. 
  Stanley 
  

   Gardiner, 
  F.R.S., 
  for 
  his 
  kindness 
  in 
  obtaining 
  a 
  photographic 
  copy 
  of 
  

   the 
  plate 
  which 
  illustrated 
  Koenig's 
  paper 
  ; 
  this 
  plate 
  is 
  reproduced 
  here 
  

   as 
  plate 
  LII. 
  Koenig, 
  of 
  course, 
  wrote 
  in 
  German, 
  and 
  his 
  spelling 
  and 
  

   expressions 
  are 
  often 
  difficult 
  to 
  follow 
  from 
  a 
  modern 
  viewpoint. 
  In 
  

   the 
  translation 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  given 
  I 
  have 
  endeavoured 
  to 
  give 
  his 
  mean- 
  

   ing 
  freely 
  rendered 
  into 
  modern 
  English 
  and, 
  where 
  phrases 
  are 
  freely 
  

   rendered 
  or 
  are 
  at 
  all 
  doubtful 
  in 
  their 
  meaning, 
  I 
  have 
  usually 
  added 
  the 
  

   original 
  German 
  in 
  round 
  brackets 
  ( 
  ). 
  Words 
  and 
  phrases 
  in 
  

   square 
  brackets 
  [ 
  ] 
  are 
  additions 
  by 
  myself 
  in 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  text. 
  

   I 
  am 
  much 
  indebted 
  to 
  the 
  Rev. 
  J. 
  Assmuth, 
  S.J., 
  for 
  his 
  kindness 
  in 
  

   reading 
  over 
  my 
  manuscript 
  and 
  checking 
  the 
  translation. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  Entomological 
  Public, 
  no 
  apology 
  is 
  needed 
  for 
  bringing 
  to 
  

   their 
  notice 
  Koenig's 
  valuable 
  and 
  interesting 
  paper 
  which 
  has 
  remained 
  

   in 
  oblivion 
  all 
  too 
  long. 
  Nor 
  do 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  any 
  apology 
  is 
  required 
  to 
  

   readers 
  in 
  India 
  who 
  may 
  nofpossess 
  any 
  special 
  interest 
  in 
  Entomology. 
  

   Termites, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  " 
  White 
  Ants," 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  every 
  

   dweller 
  in 
  the 
  East 
  and 
  all 
  who 
  have 
  suffered 
  from 
  their 
  tavages 
  may 
  

   well 
  be 
  interested 
  to 
  read 
  this 
  account 
  of 
  them 
  written 
  over 
  one 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  forty 
  years 
  ago 
  and 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  reliable 
  statement 
  of 
  

   their 
  habits 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  observations 
  made 
  in 
  Southern 
  India. 
  

  

  A 
  short 
  account 
  of 
  Koenig's 
  life 
  and 
  work 
  is 
  added. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  

   aware, 
  no 
  portrait 
  of 
  him 
  is 
  in 
  existence 
  ; 
  if 
  any 
  reader 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  aware 
  

   of 
  one, 
  I 
  shall 
  be 
  glad 
  to^hear 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  Note 
  on 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Kcenig. 
  

  

  Johann 
  Gerhard 
  Konig, 
  commonly 
  called 
  John 
  Gerard 
  Koenig 
  by 
  

   contemporary 
  English 
  writers, 
  was 
  born 
  at 
  Lemenen 
  in 
  Courland 
  

  

  