1890.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 165 



workers and soldiers from the same nests were pounced upon 

 and despatched as enemies. 



January 14th, 1889. There are now two first-class passenger- 

 coaches in the shop for repairs, damaged by the Calotermes, 

 and in the same place as the other sent you, — the inside door- 

 casings. This seems remarkable. The Nasutitermes (Eu- 

 termes) were at work (during my absence of two months) on a 

 large pile of 1^-inch clear redwood stacked up in the commis- 

 sary's yard, and of course cannot be destroyed without restack- 

 ing the whole pile. They started in the tuliite-ash strips, and 

 did not eat the redwood. I saw a large pile of 6x10x20 yellow 

 pine which the commissariat said "was excellent lumber, well- 

 seasoned, stripped, and protected from fungus," but my expe- 

 rienced eyes recognized the Nasutitermes (Eutermes) at work 

 on the ash strips, and with my umbrella I showed him that they 

 were at work all through the pile, branching from the strips to 

 the yellow pine. 



The foreman in charge of the repairs on the inside of the 

 church preserved for me a part of a plaster-of-Paris bracket 

 eaten by termites, which is an interesting specimen, because 

 they tunnelled the lower part, instead of running over the sur- 

 face to reach the wooden pillar twelve or eighteen inches above. 

 From the appearance of their work and the inconspicuous empty 

 galleries, I think it must be Terones testaceus. 



I have just made an examination of the bath-room in the su- 

 perintendent's house, which was completely renovated a year 

 ago, ceiled entirely with white ash, and varnished. All the ter- 

 mites were destroyed with kerosene, but no attempt made to 

 find the nest. Now it will have to be entirely repaired, and I 

 have advised the superintendent never to use another piece of 

 ash in the house. 



I have now two termitariums in which to continue my obser- 

 vations, which will be recorded and sent as you desired me to do. 



The magnificent cocaloba (sea grape) tree on the beach is in 

 full bloom, and I picked Mr?. Gen. Newton a bouquet from it 

 to-day, as I did for Mrs. Dudley when she was here nearly two 

 years ago. The knot-hole where the specimens of the vaulting 

 soldiers were found has been taken possession of by T. testa- 

 ceus, and the hole plugged up by them with earthy matter. 



January 21st, 1889. The portion of rafter sent you was two 

 feet longer on the eaten end, but dropped off in pieces when 

 taken down. Both nests sent were in the timber. The life of 

 the Nasutitermes (Eutermes) is gradually unfolding to me, 

 and when we know enough to write their life history it will be 

 wonderful. The workers in the communities have duties in 

 excess of what first appeared before using the microscope. A 



