07 il 
Short Papers and Notes. 
Fndian Fnsects. 
HE July number of Zlackwood contains an article on the 
insects of India, whose presence cannot be escaped or 
ignored : an active life by which one is surrounded—a 
source of annoyance, sometimes of torment, yet often 
enough of wonder and admiration. The first to welcome 
the European, the last to bid him farewell, is the mosquito. But 
in most places, excepting uncleared jungles, the terrors of the 
mosquito are trifling and are soon ignored. More interesting, if 
hardly less harassing to mankind, are the countless armies of the 
ant, whose regiments are met daily route-marching through your 
garden ; whose flying columns traverse every room of your house ; 
whose siege-trains undermine your walls ; and whose scouts are 
ever on the alert for plunder. 
THE WHITE ANT. 
The white ant is in many ways wholly unlike the common herd. 
Of all his kind the most destructive, there seems to be attached to 
him something of the dignity of the superior caste. He does not 
belong to the restless, novelty-seeking races which skirmish far and 
wide insmall companies. He never runs across your hand or your 
writing paper, or climbs aimlessly up your legs. Moving only in 
masses, he does not lightly invade any place, nor does he lightly 
leave the place he has invaded. Soberly and of set purpose he sits 
down before some rich treasure house, whether of soft wood or 
paper, of cloth or leather, perceived from afar by that marvellously 
keen sense which seems common to every tribe of the species. 
Unable to bear the light of day, he carries his approaches under 
covered trenches of mud, thrown up as he advances. These he is 
at no pains to conceal, so that his presence is at once betrayed and 
his dearest plans may be easily frustrated. But woe to the book- 
shelf, the wardrobe, or even the house-timbers to which he once 
gains access unobserved. His followers are legion ; their weapons 
are sharp ; and their energy is inexhaustible. In a single night the 
contents of shelf or box will be reduced to powder, and when the 
lid is lifted and the unwonted light betrays the scared and swarm- 
ing thousands of the enemy, the work of destruction is done. 
“Destroyed by white ants” is an accepted explanation of the loss 
of official papers in India ; and a defaulting cashier has been known 
to offer the same account even of missing bags or rupees. 
