382 Termites, or White Ants, in India. 



be got at or destroyed by their natural enemies ; nor, indeed, 

 could they, were it not for the fact that, at a certain stage of 

 existence, the majority of them are obliged to leave their 

 secure underground retreats, and to take to the winged state. 

 It is generally of a dry, calm evening,* frequently after rain, 

 that from various crevices in the walls or stone flooring of the 

 verandah myriads of unwinged white ants are seen to issue, as 

 if forming both the escort and advanced guard of the grand 

 army which, provided with wings, are about to follow. The 

 toads, Bufo melanostictus, and frogs (Sp. incog, nobis) are on 

 the look out for the former, and immediately congregate near 

 the spot. Again and again is the tongue darted out, at every 

 sweep clearing off several ; and there they will stay and con- 

 tinue to feed, until their bloated appearance proclaims that 

 they are full to repletion; when, suddenly, out come the 

 winged host, which, rising with fluttering wings into the air, 

 are met by birds and bats innumerable, and few escape. On 

 the occasion referred to, we noticed the following birds of 

 some twelve different species making sad havoc amongst the 

 winged white ants which were rising from our verandah. 

 Usually rather wild, on this occasion they were perfectly 

 fearless and tame ; and the perpetual snap-snap of their 

 beaks whilst hovering in mid-air, and the sudden disap- 

 pearance of every white ant that rose beyond a certain height 

 from the ground, was a curious sight to see. The birds ob- 

 served on this occasion were: — 1st, the black-headed oriole, 

 Oriolus melanocephalus ; 2nd, the common king crow, Dicnvms 

 macrocercus ; 3rd, the tree-pie, Dendrocita rufa; 4th, the 

 magpie robin, Gopsicus santaris ; 5th, actually a small owl not 

 usually diurnal in its habits, Athene Brahma ; 6th, the com- 

 mon babbler (or " seven brothers " of the natives, because 

 they generally associate in that number), the Malacocirciis ter- 

 ricolor of naturalists ; 7th, the scarlet-vented bulbul, Pycno- 

 notus pygoeus ; 8th, the common grey-necked crow, or jackdaw 

 of India, Gorvus splendens ; and we think we also observed 

 the green bee-eater, Merops viridis ; whilst higher up in the 

 air might be seen the common pariah kite, Milvus govinda, 

 and the Brahmin kite, Haliastur Indus, swooping down on 

 those unfortunates which escaped the birds at lower elevations. 

 In addition to these may be mentioned the common Indian 

 swift, Gypselas affinis, and, in fact, all birds which feed on 

 insects would, we imagine, readily do the same. As it gets 

 dark, the ants increase in number, and the birds, already filled 

 to repletion, gradually go off to their roosting-places, and it 

 seems as if they (the ants) were going to escape after all. 

 .Hut just at this moment another more terrible enemy makes 

 * The following notes were made at Barrack pore, on the 8th November, 18(J I . 



