46 



The Tea insects of India. 



this connection, is Schizodactylus monsiruosus, Drury, the adult male 

 of which is shown below, natural size. 



This species can be at once recognised by the curious structure of the 

 tarsal joints, and also, in the adult, by its curious curled-up wings. It 

 is known in the indigo districts as hherwa, and does a large amount of 

 damage by cutting off indigo, tobacco, and other crop plants with its 

 enormous shear-like jaws. 



Termitid^. 



White ants are sometimes very plentiful in Indian tea gardens, where 

 they occasionally do a good deal of damage, especially to young and 

 weakly plants. The identity of the species concerned has not yet been 

 satisfactorily ascertained, and the life-histories of the various forms have 

 still to be traced through the different seasons of the year. 



The commonest species in Lower Bengal is Termes taprohanes, Walker, 

 and this is likely to be the form whose large earthen nests are often to 

 be found amongst mature tea bushes, where, however, they seem, as a 

 general rule, not to do very much harm. A distinct and larger species 

 has been described by Green from Ceylon, vsrhere he observed that it was 

 liable to attack the stems of full-grown tea bushes to the extent of com- 

 pletely tunnelling out the contents. 



The following, which is taken from a manual of zoology prepared by 

 the writer of this report for the Forest Department of India, gives what 

 are said to be the general habits of Termitiise as observed in other parts 

 of the world. The figures are from specimens of Termes taprohanes in 

 the Museum collection. 



