Termites, or White Ants, in India. 381 



ff The brightest only of the three lines usually present was 

 certainly seen. The second line is probably also present. I 

 suspected a faint continuous spectrum at the preceding edge of 

 No. 386" (the /nebula). 



TRANSITS OP JUPITER'S SATELLITES. 



Dec. 4th. II. shadow in transit, 6h. 2m. to 8h. 51m. II. 

 egress, 6h. 15m. — 7th. I. ingress, 7h. 54m. — 9th. I. shadow 

 egress, 6h. — 11th. II. ingress, 6h. 4m., shadow ditto, 8h. 39m. 

 — 16th. I. shadow in transit, 5h. 37m. to 7h. 56m. I. 

 egress, 6h. 42m. IV. will be in transit while the planet is 

 visible. — 21st. III. shadow egress, ?h. 45m. — 23rd. I. ingress, 

 6h. 21m., shadow, 7h. 33m.— 28th. III. egress, 7h. 16m.— 

 29th. II. shadow egress, 6h. lm, 



OOCULTATIONS. 



Dec. 8th. B.A.C. 830, 6 mag. 8h. 2m. to 8h. 10m.— 9th. 

 / Tauri, 4 mag. 3h. 18m. to 3h. 43m.— 11th. 130 Tauri. 

 6 mag. 8h. 49m. to 9h. 24m. — 13th. 5 Cancri, 6 mag. llh, 

 29m. to 12h. 31m.— 28th. B.A.C. 7097, 6 mag. 3h. 49m. to 

 4h. 49m. 



TERMITES, OR WHITE ANTS, IN INDIA. 



BY CAPT. E. C. BEAVAN, C.M.Z.S. 



In a tropical climate like that of India, it is well known what 

 numbers of destructive creatures, of all sorts and kinds, are 

 rapidly generated in the warmth, and prove, more especially to 

 the naturalist, a source of the greatest trouble and annoyance. 

 Amongst the worst of these may perhaps be classed the Ter- 

 mites, or White Ants ; and I propose to give a short account 

 of what seems to be a beneficent provision of nature in the pro- 

 cess by which at times they are nearly annihilated. Working 

 in the dark as they do, and always hidden under cover, for 

 they invariably form an exterior tunnel of mud under which to 

 operate when they find it necessary to cross some hard substance 

 that they cannot penetrate (such as iron, or the brick walls of 

 one's house), it is not easy to imagine how they can possibly 



