174 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [MAY 5, 



tame Calotermes into new quarters for better observation, with- 

 out any difficulty. If at first they attempt to leave the hole 

 started for them, I can drive them in with a cameFs-hair pencil, 

 and now have some of the smallest termites (Nos. 34 and 35) 

 under obsetvation. 



Yesterday I saw a termites nest on some blocks of masonry 

 about eight feet square, built about six years ago on wood- 

 en ways, with the object of launching to form a breakwater, 

 which was not done. The Nasutitermes (Eutermes) got into 

 the wood, and hence the nest against the masonry. They 

 are different in color from any species yet collected, being red- 

 dish. 



I do not think that there is a stick of decayed timber in our 

 shop-yard that has not received a stab from the blade of my 

 knife or point of my umbrella; and to-day, in passing a decayed 

 fence-post, I split off a portion and found two wingless ter- 

 mites close together. They proved to be Calotermes, and I pre- 

 pared a block of ash one and one-half inches square, bored a 

 hole in it, and in thirty minutes they were busy eating and 

 smoothing the sides of their new nest, and have allowed me to 

 wash them with a hair pencil. They have two white ocelli over 

 their black compound eye, and I can see rudiments in thenympha. 

 They are valuable acquisitions to my termitarium for observa- 

 tion, because they are quiet and amiable. They have lobed 

 feet, the lobes being quite prominent. There was no other ter- 

 mite of this species on the post; they seemed to be alone, 

 and may have fallen during the marriage flight. There were a 

 few common ants near the foot of the post, which had a nest 

 with eggs and larvse. 



I have recently discovered a number of nests of termites of 

 the mud-nest species on a plain of pasture. They are of all 

 sizes from three feet downward. The tops of the nests are watch- 

 glass shape, and have so far only been found near Panama. 



Your advice to use California redwood was judicious, for 

 so far I have not found the termites eating it, and it does not 

 readily decay. 



June 4th, 1889. The captured queens C. marginipeii7iis 

 are doing well in an ash block that can be opened lengthwise. 

 They laid three eggs after a week, and as two disappeared I 

 separated them. They show no disposition to leave the cell 

 under my scrutiny, but keep turning the eggs, — showing that 

 the queens of this species take care of their own eggs in the ab- 

 sence of the workers, and therefore the number of eggs of each 

 queen is limited. When it is understood that every termite 

 that comes to maturity, with the exception of a few soldiers, is 



