THE HABITS OF CALIFORNIA TERMITES. 49 



loamy soil in a rocky, mountainous district not far from San Jose 

 at least a dozen such tubes existed. One of these, occasionally 

 rising to the surface, led to another root nearly twenty feet away. 

 Another extended in an opposite direction a little over thirteen 

 feet, while some of the other tunnels traversed shorter distances. 

 From these outlying posts other galleries extended and, so far as 

 it was possible to judge, all the roots in that area, nearly an acre 

 in extent, were inhabited by one extensive colony. 



Xmnbcr of Individuals in the Colony. - - In such cases and even 

 more where the areas are less circumscribed it becomes practi- 

 cally impossible to determine the limits of a community and the 

 number of members composing it. From this colony just de- 

 scribed I took 3,761 individuals --a number probably less than 

 half. On another occasion I took over 1,800 winged forms as 



o 



they were swarming from a hole almost in the middle of one of 

 the much-travelled streets of Palo Alto. If it be true that the 

 sexes of this species swarm at different times, as Grassi maintains, 

 it becomes evident, in connection with the fact that the winged 

 individuals compose considerably less than half of the colony, that 

 the latter consists, in some cases at least, of over 6,000 inhabitants. 



With Termopsis the number of individuals is less than in the 

 above described cases. Where the colony is accompanied by the 

 primary royal pair and has been in existence for from one to three 

 and perhaps four or five years its members number from 50 to 

 1,000. After the death of the primary pair and several substitute 

 royal forms have been developed the egg-laying process is rela- 

 tively much more rapid and results in the formation of large com- 

 munities. One such, inhabiting a huge pine log, numbered 3,221 

 and judging from the thousands of eggs deposited throughout the 

 burrows this number must soon have been greatly exceeded. 

 Under average conditions, however, 2,000 is probably about the 

 usual number. 



The nests of Calotenncs were both small, in one case aggre- 



o o 



gating about 200 individuals, in the other nearly twice this num- 

 ber. These contained neither eggs nor young and were located 

 in almost completely decayed wood and hence may not be per- 

 fectly typical. 



Sivarniing and Founding of Colony.--^ is well known, the 

 usual termite colony consists of a royal pair, numerous soldiers, 



