1890.] NEW TORE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 119 



splitting the board found a pocket full, — several hundred nym- 

 phge and six soldiers. One-half the board he brought to me. 

 The board is about ten inches in diameter and has been turned in 

 a lathe. The nympha looks like the car C. marginipennis, but 

 the soldier is different, with a dark body like the mature queen, 

 head and mandibles darker and of different shape. I put an 

 Isthmian nympha with four Jamaican, but they locked jaws 

 and it was soon hors de combat. As I have never seen the 

 Isthmian C. marginipe7i7iis quarrel, though mixed up from 

 different localities, it is possible that these from Jamaica are of 

 another species. 



This morning I opened a tree-nest of Nasutitermes (Eutermes) 

 from Fri joles. The septum of the interior was very fragile, while 

 the outer portion was thick and tough. The nasuti had red 

 heads, and the few imago captured had brown wings. Interior 

 of nest brownish-colored; evidently another species. The queen 

 was of the usual form. Did you note the coincidence of our 

 letters in explaining Fritz Miiller's composite nests ? I have 

 already told you of finding two species in one nest, one an inter- 

 loper adapting a part of the nest to its own use, although it had 

 not constructed any portion of the nest. 



July 2d, 1889. In passing the sea-grape tree to-day my eye 

 caught some fresh pellets in a depression of the trunk, looking 

 like those of Calotermes margi7iipennis. I cut a piece of the 

 bark, made a hole with forceps, picked out a soldier and worker; 

 the former is a C. margmipennis, and the latter looks like T. 

 testaceus. In a few moments I had specimens of three different 

 species, taken within an inch of each other, and tracks of Na- 

 sutitermes (Eutermes) were near. 



I also found near the Mechanics' Lodge, on a fence-rail, a new 

 Nasutitermes (Eutermes) nest, and on taking it down there 

 was a teaspoonful of fresh eggs on the rail. In splitting open 

 the nest a plump young queen about an inch in length dropped 

 out. 



I am now studying the number of times the C. rnarginipen- 

 nis moults before reaching the imago. Some of the moults have 

 wing-cases and others have none. I have seen the operation 

 under the microscope, and have assisted some of them through 

 the ordeal, and they are also helped by the nymphag. It takes 

 about fifteen minutes, and is wonderful to see through the glass. 

 I have no doubt but what the nymphae of all termites undergo 

 similar progressive metamorphosis, but, from their nature and 

 habits, cannot be so closely observed. I have now twelve blocks 

 of them under glass, and can put them under the microscope at 

 any time. 



