BY WALTER W. FROGGATT. 
423 
Texas; they are known in Mexico; and Osten-Sacken* has studied 
the habits of those in California. In the Southern States along 
the Mississippi they do a great deal of damage at times, while in 
1879 Hagenf reported that they appeared in great numbers at 
Cambridge, Mass., but disappeared the following season. The 
most northern limit of the white ant is Manitoba, whence one 
species ( Termopis occidentalis ) has been recorded by Treherne. % 
To give an accurate account of their geographical distribution 
in Australia is no easy matter, as much of the country has been 
very cursorily examined as regards its insect fauna; and few of 
the naturalists on overland expeditions have collected white ants 
unless they were very much in evidence. However, all along the 
eastern coast line, which is mainly forest country, termites are 
plentiful; in southern Grippsland they are a well-known pest, and 
more northward in the G-oulburn Valley (Victoria) we have 
several accounts of their attacks upon vines and fruit trees. In 
the northern parts of Victoria several species are found, but never 
in great numbers, and seldom forming distinctive nests. Coming 
into New South Wales, in the Shoalhaven district there are two 
common species constructing nests, many of the larger nests being 
from six to seven feet in height. These tall nests are dotted all 
over the flats, but are seldom met with on the higher hills; they 
are formed by our common yellow-headed termite, which though 
common in the neighbourhood of Sydney does not make any kind 
of nest, but lives under logs and stones or in old timber. North 
of Sydney, towards Newcastle, white ants are common among the 
dead timber, the arboreal Eutermes building their nests up the 
trees being the prevailing species. A resident of Cape Hawke 
informs me that they are very bad in that neighbourhood. I have 
several species from Uralla where there are plenty of the yellow - 
* G. K. Osten-Saeken. Observations on Termes found in California. 
Proc. Boston. ;^oc. xix. p. 72, 1877- 
t A. H. Hagen. Notes on a Great Cloud of Termites appearing in 1878- 
Proc. Bost. Soc. N. H. xx. p. 118, 1879. 
X H. S. Treherne. Notes on species observed in Manitoba. Proc. Bost* 
Soc. N. H. xix. p. 74, 1877. 
