372 



WOOD-DESTKOYING WHITE ANTS OF THE 

 BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. 



BY 



Joseph Assmuth, S.J. 

 With Plates I—V. 



The following notes were first read, in a mnch condensed form, 

 as a paper before the Bombay Natural History Society. They are 

 now published, revised and enlarged, at the suggestion of Mr. H. 

 V. R. Kemball, Secretary to Government, P. W. Dept., whom I 

 cannot thank too much for the continued practical interest he has 

 shown in my work. It was he who induced Government to order 

 a large number of copies of this article for distribution among the 

 officers of the P. W. D., to grant facilities for the further prosecu- 

 tion of my studies of the White Ants, w^ho applied to the Railway 

 Companies for co-operation, etc. I take this opportunity of 

 tendering my sincerest thanks to the Agents of the G. I. P., 

 B. B. & C. I., and M. & S. M. Railway Companies, who generously 

 granted free passes for travels in connection with my investiga- 

 tions. My thanks are likewise due to my faithful assistant, Mr. J. 

 P. Mullan, M.A., without whose help it would have scarcely been 

 possible to obtain the many photographs illustrating this article, 

 and whose services have been invaluable to me in many other 

 ways. I am under special obligations to Professor Dr. Holmgren 

 of Stockholm for his kindness in checking the determination of the 

 Termites mentioned in this paper. Moreover, I have experienced 

 kind assistance from many others, too numerous to mention ; to 

 each and all of them I give my heartiest thanks. 



As the title of this paper implies, wood-destroyers of the Bom- 

 bay Presidency only are dealt with* — seven species in all. This 

 number is most likely incomplete, but it is at present impossible to 

 treat the subject exhaustively. The reason for this deficiency is 

 not far to seek. Incredible as it may seem, it is nevertheless a fact 

 that up to now deplorably little attention has been paid to the 

 investigation of the Termite Fauna of India in general ; and as to 

 the discussion of the w^ood-destroyers in particular, the following — 

 as far as I am aware — is the first venture altogether. Consequently 

 I have to rely almost exclusively on my own observations which 

 have as j^et been hardly extended beyond the borders of this 

 province. They comprise the following areas ^Eombay and Salsette 

 Island ; Hubli and Bangalore in the soum ; the Bhor Ghats 

 (especially Khandala), Poona, Kirkee and the Ahmednagar Dis- 

 tricts in the east; lastly the Kaira District (Gujarat) in the 



* One of the species mentioned below, Calotermes Assmuthi, has so far been found 

 only at Bangalore ; it is however very probable that it occurs also in the southern 

 forests of this Presidency, 



