﻿3i8 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  that 
  lie 
  forwarded 
  to 
  Europe 
  most, 
  if 
  not 
  all, 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  insects 
  

   described 
  by 
  Fabricius 
  from 
  Southern 
  India, 
  we 
  know 
  nothing 
  of 
  his 
  

   direct 
  interest 
  in 
  entomology 
  beyond 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  on 
  Termites. 
  

   Considering 
  that 
  absolutely 
  nothing 
  was 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  economy 
  and 
  

   habits 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  before 
  that 
  time, 
  his 
  observations 
  seem 
  remark- 
  

   ably 
  accurate 
  and 
  serve 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  Koenig 
  set 
  an 
  extremely 
  high 
  

   standard 
  for 
  his 
  time 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  entomological 
  observer 
  who 
  accom- 
  

   plished 
  any 
  scientific 
  work 
  in 
  India. 
  His 
  paper 
  seems 
  well 
  worthy 
  of 
  

   being 
  rescued 
  from 
  the 
  obscurity 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  remained 
  for 
  over 
  one 
  

   hundred 
  and 
  forty 
  years. 
  

  

  Translation 
  ob 
  Kcenig's 
  paper 
  on 
  termites. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  first 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Berlin 
  Naturalists' 
  

   Association 
  on 
  pages 
  177 
  et 
  seq 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  excellent 
  essay 
  by 
  Professor 
  

   J. 
  C. 
  Fabricius 
  concerning 
  the 
  designation 
  of 
  the 
  castes 
  of 
  White 
  Ants. 
  

   As 
  I 
  am 
  now 
  staying 
  in 
  a 
  place 
  where 
  these 
  animals 
  actually 
  have 
  

   their 
  home, 
  both 
  from 
  that 
  circumstance 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  persuasion 
  

   of 
  some 
  friends 
  in 
  Madras, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  induced 
  to 
  undertake 
  some 
  close 
  

   observations, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honour 
  herewith 
  to 
  lay 
  before 
  the 
  hon'ble 
  

   Natural 
  History 
  Society 
  of 
  Berlin. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  to 
  be 
  best 
  able 
  to 
  learn 
  about 
  

   these 
  animals 
  I 
  picked 
  out 
  a 
  place 
  where 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  obstructed 
  

   in 
  their 
  work 
  either 
  by 
  force 
  or 
  by 
  want 
  or 
  by 
  other 
  circumstances 
  

   and 
  where 
  their 
  nests 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  

  

  I 
  found 
  such 
  a 
  spot 
  East-South-East 
  from 
  Tanjore 
  (" 
  Tanschaur 
  ") 
  

   where, 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  approximately 
  half 
  a 
  German 
  mile 
  [i.e., 
  about 
  

   2^ 
  English 
  miles-T. 
  B. 
  F.], 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  high-lying 
  level 
  plain 
  and 
  almost 
  

   limitless 
  surrounding 
  country 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  formed 
  of 
  a 
  deep-red 
  

   clay 
  which 
  is 
  mixed 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  coarse 
  sand 
  and, 
  in 
  various 
  

   places, 
  with 
  some 
  small 
  fragments 
  of 
  Tufa 
  (" 
  Tophus 
  "). 
  

  

  The 
  scanty 
  Flora 
  there 
  consisted 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  of 
  only 
  : 
  Arislula 
  

   arimdinacea 
  ; 
  SaccJiarum 
  spicatum 
  ; 
  Pharnaceum 
  Molhigo 
  and 
  Ceronna 
  ; 
  

   Hedysarum 
  nummular 
  ia, 
  pulchcUum, 
  diphyllum, 
  hamatuni, 
  hiarticulaiinn 
  ; 
  

   Spen)tacoce 
  hispida 
  ; 
  Viola 
  fruticosa 
  and 
  a 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  Hcgilops. 
  

  

  Here 
  and 
  there 
  grew 
  a 
  little 
  Riccia 
  where 
  water 
  had 
  stood 
  after 
  the 
  

   rains. 
  On 
  the 
  whole 
  plain 
  there 
  were 
  otherwise 
  no 
  shrubs 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  

   the 
  right 
  hand, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  there 
  were 
  the 
  gardens 
  

   of 
  a 
  Moorish 
  hermit 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  desolate 
  places. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  locality 
  many 
  hundreds 
  of 
  nests 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  are 
  scattered 
  

   over 
  the 
  whole 
  plain. 
  

  

  The 
  area 
  of 
  ground 
  which 
  each 
  nest 
  covers 
  is 
  rarely 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  

   paces 
  in 
  diameter 
  ; 
  most 
  are 
  smaller, 
  and 
  their 
  greatest 
  depth 
  below 
  the 
  

  

  