The Zoologist— November, 1867. 998 



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Notes of a Naturalist in India. By Major Norgate. 



The IVliite Ant. — This little insect is perhaps the most destructive 

 in the world ; its ravages are perfectly marvellous, its numbers count- 

 less, and its perseverance undaunted. Unlike the other species of ants, 

 it appears to have no means of offence or defence; it does not sting 

 or bite, and is so tender that a breeze would blow it away and the sun 

 dry it up : it is therefore obliged to make little covered ways of earth, 

 under which it carries on its destructive yet silent work : these tunnels 

 are made of fine earth, mixed with some moisture, perhaps from the 

 animal's own body. Small objects it selects for its food are all covered 

 with this'eoating of mud, under which it works day and night: trees, 

 beams of houses, boards are generally covered by small tunnels 

 running about like the branches of a tree, joining down to the point 

 from which the insect began its work from the ground. Nearly alt 

 the soil of India, unless it is full of salts or sand, appears to be in- 

 habited by the white ant: large trees are destroyed by it; first the 

 bark is eaten off or the roots attacked, then the tree is dug into and 

 tunnelled, some tissues of the woody parts being left, apparently to 

 keep the mass just strong enough to remain together. A piece of wood^ 

 or leather, cloth, cotton-cloth, rope, straw, dry grass, even a stick left 

 on the ground, in a few hours will be covered with this mud, and 

 under it thousands of white ants hard at work running up and down 

 their covered ways, some bringing earth from the ground, others 

 eating away the substance, whatever it may be : this is seldom all 

 consumed, some part being always left : the centre of a beam will be 

 eaten all away and the outside shell left, often deceiving the eye as to 

 its soundness. These little demons make no noise whatever, and the 

 only notice given of their presence may be a little earth falling down 

 when the covered ways get too dry. Some idea may be conceived of 

 the damage done by these insects, when it is calculated they cost the 

 Indian Government some £100,000 a year to repair barracks, roofs of 

 houses, bridges, &c, destroyed by them. 



There are many stories current in India about the ravages of the 

 white ants which sound rather incredible; for instance, it is said they 

 will eat through a tin box ; well, they do not exactly eat through the 

 tin, but they soon cause a hole to come through the bottom of a tin 

 box left incautiously on the ground; they cover the tin with their 

 earthy roads, and either the acid of their bodies or the moisture they 

 use in forming their earth-work rusts and corrodes through. I have 



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