THE ANT-LION 159 



visit ; the mosquitoes, however, were so numerous that 

 I was obliged to build a fire, and work while sitting in 

 the smoke. 



At this place, the white ants, or termites, are a great 

 annoyance to the people, as they destroy everything 

 made of wood that they can reach. Houses, if unpro- 

 tected, become in a year or two little more than hollow 

 shells, ready to be blown down by the first strong 

 wind. The ants are very small, not larger than some 

 of our species, but they swarm in countless millions. 

 They bore into the wood from below, and in such a 

 way that the outside looks as sound as ever. The 

 houses are generally placed on posts, surmounted 

 with tin pans; but these have to be constantly ex- 

 amined, and the posts replaced by new ones as soon 

 as hollowed out. In order to make railway bridges 

 secure from the devastations of this insect, the timbers 

 are bored through from end to end with large augers ; 

 and the holes, having been filled with molasses and 

 arsenic, are then plugged at the ends, after which the 

 timbers are painted with Paris green. This is a sure 

 safeguard. 



I often used to see along the paths, the hollow sand- 

 cones of the ant-lion (Myrmeleori) ; and I made quite a 

 study of them while at Townsville, as they were very 

 numerous there. The ant-lions are little fat worms, 

 with enormous jaws, well adapted to their mode of 

 living at the bottom of the little hollows in the sand, 



