162 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [MAT 5, 



a cavity in the centre, I found four queens, much shrivelled and 

 discolored, though they could move quite lively. Before dis- 

 turbing them I placed cell and all on a clean board in the jar, to 

 watch them. They moved around, apparently in search of a hid- 

 ing place, always attended by a large number of anxious workers 

 licking and caressing them, and whenever they stopped the work- 

 ers would attempt to drag them to the cell. You will see that 

 this nest No. 5 contained ten queens, and near them was a small 

 insect of a shape unknown to me, neither worker nor soldier. It 

 seemed anxious to be near the queen or the cavity, so that I call 

 them ''maids of honor" (Staphylinids). 



Nest No. 6 was about two and one-half feet from No. 5 and 

 connected to it by galleries, round in form and about two feet in 

 diameter. It was well filled with eggs, larvae, winged ants, and 

 the usual proportion of workers and soldiers, but no queens. I 

 think No. 5 was the parent-nest, and the eggs from the ten queens 

 were carried to it through the galleries, as I have seen the eggs 

 taken by a worker as soon as they were voided by the queen, and 

 they give constant attention to her anal extremity. 



I have not yet seen any signs of the nodules of prepared food 

 mentioned by Hubbard, and am desirous to know how the mil- 

 lions of larv« in nest No. 6 are fed. 



While in Panama last week I obtained the seventh different 

 species or variety. The nest was built of mud from the road, 

 around the base of a telegraph-pole, and branches from it ran 

 along the wooden railroad fence. Only workers and mandibu- 

 late soldiers were found in it. The latter have a different shaped 

 head from the others ; body is a dark slate color. These seven 

 varieties of termites are under my microscopic observation and 

 study. 



In the report of the proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy 

 of Natural Sciences, November 15th, 1887, there is the following 

 allusion to the termites: "Kev. Dr. McOook referred to a com- 

 munication from Mr. C. Townsend describing the nest of a white 

 ant found in Honduras; wood pulp seems to be the material 

 used, and the nests are placed between branches of trees." 



Your conclusions about the different genera of termites con- 

 structing galleries are correct so far as my observations extend. 

 The Nasutitermes (Eutermes) construct more extended gal- 

 leries than any of the seven kinds of wood-ants under my obser- 

 vation, for some nests are fifty feet above ground, with galleries 

 leading to them. 



September 12th. I examined two nests on the beach. No. 8, a 

 small one on a stump, contained about two dozen wingless ants, 

 which I think were females, and I captured six of them. Nest No. 

 9 was about twenty rods away, and on top of a decayed root of a 



