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in one or two instances, the insects had excavated the tunnels 
through the sandstone itself for short distances, 
On removing the first slab of rock to which I traced the passage 
leading from the usual mounds of earth pellets about 6 or 8 inches 
in height which these termites throw up here and there, a passage 
which ran quite superficially for 5 or 6 yards, I found many 
chambers of all shapes and dimensions in the thin layer of earth, 
many of which were filled with short lengths of grass and helio- 
trope stems cut by the termites and garnered there. 
In the chambers were many insects in a great state of commotion 
of course, soldiers, workers and winged specimens with very 
occasionnal larvae. 
Working down and around, I found many more such collections 
of chambers, but, further down, no winged specimens and no pieces 
of grass etc.; but many more larvae; and finally at the bottom, 
eggs and larvae. The nest went no further down, but extended well 
out towards one side and too far for me to work. I could not find 
the king and queen. The lower strata of earth was damp and tena- 
cious and the chambers were here higher and often in the shape 
of slits and arms with convex walls. In all cases the chambers and 
passages were covered with the same chocolate coloured excreta, 
I found nothing resembling food in the colony anywhere except 
the pieces of grass-stems mentioned. I have seen the insects both 
soldiers and workers in the day-time, the latter gathering pieces of 
these stems ; they do not go far from home for the purpose; in fact 
the opening they were making use of was right underneath some 
small bushes whence they were cutting the pieces with great ease 
and celerity : all the pieces were dead and therefore not so tough as 
if they were green; but noiwithstanding, the insects must possess 
very powerful jaws. , 
I think this species exists in all parts of Sind more or less, for 
I found them up in the North of the Province also, in salt soils. 
As a matter of fact, the whole of Sind was once sea-bed and that 
within recent times; and much of the land is still salt when left 
without irrigation; there is next Lo no rain : the usual fall inland 
not amounting in the North to more than 2 inches annually. » 
A colony of Hodotermesis generally a succession of flat chambers, 
varying in height and shape, disposed in étages down to a depth of 
o feet or more; groups of chambers on the same level being the 
rule; the étages also being generally not directly underneath 
eachother, but diagonally so. One colony of chambers will cover 
an area of 4 square meters or so, The passages out from it (which 
may communicate with another set of chambers and étages?) lead 
often as far as 20 yards. 
