390 PETCH . 



During the course of the investigations referred to, several 

 nests of other species, which do not live underground, were 

 examined, and it was found that the combs in such nests were 

 usually destitute of fungi. For example, hi one nest situated 

 in the hollowed timbers of a bridge, and in another in a hollow 

 felled tree trunk, the combs were hard and dry, and had 

 evidently never borne any fungus cultivation similar to that 

 which occurs in subterranean nests. In order to obtain 

 further evidence on that point, it was decided to examine the 

 nest of the Ce3don black termite, Eutermes monoceros, and to 

 dctermme if possible in what respect its food differed from that 

 of the Ceylon mound-building species. Eutermes monoceros 

 builds its nest usually {'i always) in a hollow tree. 



From the mj^cological standpoint this investigation was 

 quite fruitless. The black termite does not cultivate a fungus 

 within its nest, though it might be said to feed on fungi to 

 some extent. However, a few notes on the habits of this species 

 were accumulated, and as the}^ may possibly be of mterest 

 they have been recorded below. 



Eutermes monoceros is common in Ceylon. Its black 

 " nests," hanging in stalaotitic masses from hollow tree trunks, 

 or from the ends of decaymg branches, are familiar objects, 

 and its organized processions in search of food never fail to 

 attract the attention of scientific visitors. Yet little appears 

 to have been recorded about its habits. Ridley, writing on 

 the " Symbiosis of Ants and Plants " (Ann. Bot., XXIV., 

 p. 40iJ), refers to a closely allied species, Eutermes umbrinus, " a 

 termite \\hich is often to be seen going in long procession to 

 or from a tree or woodwork, where it collects bark to cultivate 

 a species of Agaricus on which to feed the young." But if that 

 is c<>rrc(;l, the food of T. umbrinus differs com})let('ly from that 

 of T. monoceros, though the habits of the two species are 

 identical. Since these notes were compiled. Dr. Ed. Bugnion 

 has studied Eutermes monoceros in Ceylon, and has published 

 two papers, one in the AnnalesdelaSociete Entomologique de 

 France, LXX\'1II.. p|.. 272-280, and the other in Bull. Soc. 

 V'aud. Sc. Nat., XLVJJ., 417-437; and further information, 

 also based on Ceylon studies, has been fiu-nished by Escherich 

 in his book " Tcnuitenleben auf Ctiylon." 



