THE WHITE ANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9628, 28 September 1894, Page 3

THE WHITE ANT.

TO THE EDITOR Sib, —Seeing so much is being said and written about white ants, your readers will perhaps be interested to hear from one who lias lived amongst them for a few years in their tropical home in the Straits Settlemeat Never have 1 seen white ants in that locality in either soft or hard dry wood, and only in the former when it becomes damp. As an instance showing their power of discovering damp articles, on landing at Singapore I went to the hotel with my baggage. Amongst it was a large kauri chest, which was rather damp 011 coming from the ship's hold. This chest in particular was placed in a large dry room with concrete floor, and quite 24 feet from any crack or opening. Two days later I had occasion to go to the chest, which was packed with tenting and overalls, covered with a sheet of ordinary brown paper. On opening the lid, the paper was found to be riddled by the ants to such an extent that it could not be held up in one sheet. The articles underneath were the same right through every nook and corner. The bottom of the' chest, in every part, I could poke my cane through, so much had they perforated it, but the sides and top being quite dry, they had not touched. Strange to relate, there was not a sight of an ant alive or dead, but just their tracks, a white line measuring 27 feet lay underneath the door to a crevice in the ground. After my " new(chum's " experience I took great precautions, and brought the kerosene down pretty promptly on any damp part I saw. I see by this morning's Herald, the Government experts says kerosene will not ' destroy them. I. have killed millions with it in the Straits. Perhaps the ones experimented on by Captain Broun may have had a little Maori blood in them. In regard to the black ant killing them, more likely they would attack a white man than a white ant, especially if the former is forced to pitch camp near one of their nests. —I am, etc., Eurasian. Auckland, September 26, 1894. THE EXODUS AND THE DEEP LEVELS." TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— think it will be a pity if pressure is not brought to bear on Parliament before proroguing to develop the deep'levels on the Thames goldfields. Some of our best scientific experts are agreed that, from facts within their knowledge, gold must be hidden in the deeper levels at the Thames ; and yet, in the face of a great esodus to distant fields, not a word is said in Parliament about our mining assets. Legislators, of all things, should be practical; theoretical philosophers are a drug in the market. — am, etc., E.F.G.