Hagen.] 72 [January 3, 



tions thus far made in the Southern States, it seems probable that all 

 the groups in North America have a greater range north and south 

 than the same groups in Europe. 



Dr. H. Hagen made some remarks on the occurrence of 

 White Ants in the West and North-west, and read the fol- 

 lowing communications made to him on this subject : — 



Extract from a Letter by Baron R. Osten Sacken, on 

 the Specimens of Termes found by him in California. 



Termopsis angusticollis was frequently observed by me in dead 

 trunks and branches of Quercus agrifolia, near Santa Barbara, in 

 February. The specimens in the bottle were taken from a small 

 trunk or root, completely riddled by them. There were about half a 

 dozen large-headed individuals, soldiers, in the colony; nearly all the 

 other individuals looked like pupse, and had rudimental wings. In a 

 cavity at the foot of the trunk a number df wings were collected. 1 

 A i'ew days after, having secured a considerable number of speci- 

 mens from that trunk, 1 found a dry branch, which was filled with 

 what I thought was the same kind of pupal specimens. I took only 

 two of them, and kept them for some time alive. In examining 

 them at home, I noticed that they had facetted eyes, that they were 

 darker than the specimens of the other lot, and that what I had 

 taken for rudiments of wings were stumps of wings, like those which 

 remain after the shedding of the wings by the imago. In a word, I 

 had imagos before me. I regretted now that I had not examined the 

 branch more carefully, but I remembered that it was full of individ- 

 uals of the same kind. It is not probable that Termites had been 

 flying so early in the year. I conclude that they were last year's 

 specimens, having wintered in their wingless state. 



I saw this large species flying at Clark's Ranch, Mariposa Co., 

 June 3, 4; in Yosemite a few days later (altitude of the valley 

 4000 feet). I suppose, therefore, that lower in the valley they fly 

 much earlier. I saw them again about Lake Tahoe (6200 feet alti- 

 tude), July 18. They were very numerous in the air about sunset. 

 I observed a very large stump of Pinus ponderosa covered with spec- 

 imens, which after alighting, got rid -of their wings and were running 



1 These wings looked cobwebbed, mouldy and old, having evidently been shed 

 long ago, probably last year. 



