EEVISIOlSr OF NE ARCTIC TERMITES. 185 



Near San Antonio, Texas, this species was again found on April 25, 

 under cow chips, in wooded pasture land, 5 miles south of the city. 



On May 1 at CotuUa, Texas, the writer again found this termite 

 in the interior of fence posts badly riddled by wood-boring beetles, 

 whose numerous exit holes were throughout the posts. The burrows 

 of this termite in the wood were spotted with excrement. 



At Uvalde, Texas, on May 3, this species was foupd in the wood 

 (pine) of the foundations of a building; excrement spots were on the 

 wood and - the work was apparently similar to that of species of 

 Reticulitermes. 



At Lagima, Texas, on May 4, the writer found a colony of wheeleri 

 in the dry, hard wood of a stump ; the wood was solid and was honey- 

 combed by longitudinal galleries. (PI. 7.) The wood was spotted 

 with excrement. 



On May 5, at Chalk Bluff, another colony was found in the pine 

 foimdations of a building, the wood being honeycombed and spotted 

 with excrement, as in case of Reticulitermes. Earthen tubes were 

 constructed on the wood. Other colonies were found in logs on the 

 ground. The surface of the wood on the ground is eaten off and 

 covered with earthen tubes. The heartwood is often penetrated 

 through cracks, as do species of Reticulitermes and Prorhinotermes 

 simplex Hagen. These colonies were of large size. Wood lying on 

 the ground, such as boards, have the surface eaten in broad shallow 

 tunnels and the surface covered with soil. 



At Chalk Bluff, colonies were found in " Lechuguilla " (Agave) 

 in the foothills and also at El Paso, Texas. At the latter locality, 

 a colony was found on May 9, in the lower rosette of dead leaves 

 and in earthen tunnels through the flower stalk of Agave. The 

 vegetation on these bare, rocky hillsides (Piedmont Heights, above 

 the smelter) overlooking the Rio Grande into similar coimtry near 

 Juarez, Mexico, consists of cactus. Agave, creosote bush (Covillea 

 glutinosa), etc. These plants furnish the only conditions where 

 termites could obtain proper conditions of moisture, except under 

 cow chips. 



T. S. Wilson found this termite damaging com kernels and young 

 sprouting corn in fields near Brownsville, Texas, on April 23, 1917. 

 The injury was apparently only local. 



No winged adults of this species have been found as yet. 



AMITERMES CALIFORNICUS Banks. 



For taxonomy see pp. 62-63. 



F. P. Keen found workers and soldiers of this termite on August 

 24, 1915, at Jacumba, California, feeding on the surface at the base 

 of the rind of a dead flower stalk of Yucca, where protected by the 

 leaf bases, which are closely appressed to the stalk. The insectg 

 worked between the rosette of leaves and the flower stem. Jacumba 

 110162— 20— Bull. 108 13 



