1889.] NEW-YORK MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. HI 



fibrosa ? ; spica lanceolata, angusta, acutata, castanea, i 

 cm. longa, 2 mm. lata ; squamis ovatis, obtusis, subcari- 

 natis, apiculatis, margine hyalinis ; achenio elliptico, tri- 

 gone, laevi, nitido, cum tuberculis i mm. longo ; tuber- 

 culis angustis, calyptratis, rostratis ; setis circiter 4, 

 albidis, acheniufh tequantibus. 

 Agua Caliente, San Diego Co., Cal., S. B. Parish, April, 1882, 

 No. 1569. 



The material is insufficient for a positive assertion that this 

 has always fibrous roots. Mr. Parish has very obligingly divided 

 his only specimen with me and until the plant is again collected 

 its further characters must remain uncertain. 

 40. E. GENICULATA (L.), Roem. and Schult. Syst. ii. 224 (1817). 

 E. densa, Benth. PI. Hartw. 27 (1839). A terete-stemmed 

 variety. 

 Mexico, Mueller, 1762; Guatemala, Coban, Tuerckheim, 544 ; 

 Panama, Dr. J. M. Bigelow. 



Widely distributed in tropical America, probably not reach- 

 ing the United States. 



NOTE ON CALOTERMES MARGINIPENNIS, LATR. 



BY P. H. DUDLEY, C. E. 

 {Presented October ^tk., 1889.) 



In my former Paper on the " Termites, or the so-called White 

 Ants of the Isthmus of Panama " I mentioned that Dr. H. A. 

 Hagen had identified three genera, viz., Termes, Eutermes and 

 Calotermes, the latter genus being represented by only one 

 species, Calotermes /narginipennis, Latr., which was found 

 destroying the white-ash door-posts of the coaches of the 

 Panama Railroad Company. Since that announcement, large 

 numbers of the same species have been found in the coaches, 

 not only destroying the door-posts, but the seat-rails as well. 

 In one coach, twelve seats were so badly injured as to require 

 renewal. 



The life-history and habits of the Calotermes differ widely 

 from those of the Termes and Eutermes, except possibly in 

 destroying wood. The Calotermes can eat hard, dry wood. 

 Choice, hard-wood furniture being especially relished. 



