TERMITES FROM BRITISH INDIA. 109' 



more or less 1 foot above surface. Outside of cones not smooth but 

 warty. Took only a few fungus-beds out of nest." (Assmuth.) 



Krishnarajapuram, 7-11-1911. — "Construction of nest same 

 as that examined, 4-11-1911, but mound very low, hardly more 

 than 1 foot high. Whole nest taken out ; in it 1 young queen 

 (3-5 cm. long, with slender abdomen) but 2 kings which is, I 

 believe, quite remarkable ; it is certainly the first and only experi- 

 ence of this sort I ever had. Not more than two separate fungus- 

 beds in nest, neither of them big but both containing numerous 

 eggs." (Assmuth.) 



Odontotermes wallonensis, Wasm. 



Habitat. — Tuwa (Gujerat), Bangalore, Krishnarajapuram. 



Collector's Report : — 



Tuwa, 4-1-1912.^ — " Mound fully 4' high, leaning against 

 small babul tree or rather built round its trunk. Nest similar to 

 those of 0. brunneus yet cupolas not so regular nor perforated, but 

 solid. King and queen (the latter about 8-25 cm. long, the 

 longest I have so far seen) found, curious to say, 2' above ground- 

 Perhaps originally in this place a heap of mud or earth on which 

 the pair alighted after the flight from the parent colony, thus 

 giving rise to the unusual position of the royal cell. Overground 

 portion of mound almost completely desiccated, only royal cell 

 and its near surroundings still moist. In consequence of this, 

 fungus-beds (photo 7) of mantle region nearly all deserted ; the 

 larvas had been taken down to lower portions of nest where they 

 were found in great numbers. The reason for this strange occur- 

 rence is, I believe, to be found in the fact that the rainy season 

 of last year (1911) was very poor in Gujerat. I experienced a 

 similar state of things in nearly all the nests I saw in this pro- 

 vince ; their mantle was much decayed, and the upper portion 

 of the mound was more or less abandoned by the termites which 

 had withdrawn to the deeper and damper parts of the nest." 

 (Assmuth.) — The drought seems to explain sufiiciently the abnor- 

 mal structure of this nest as compared with others of the same 

 species. 



Bangalore, 30-10-1911. — " Nest with open chimneys, lying by~ 

 itself in garden of St. Martha's Hospital, surrounded on all sides- 

 by high grass, but upper portion of nest quite bare (photo 8). 

 Measured depth of one of the chimneys which reached as far as 4' 

 below ground ; lumen of mouth of chimney 10-12 cm. in diameter;, 

 chimney extending nearly vertically downwards. 1 king and 1 

 queen (the latter 7"5 cm, long, several workers as well as soldiers 

 fastened to her abdomen by their mandibles) taken in cell more 

 than 2' below ground. These are the fiercest termites I have sO' 

 far come across in India : their bite drew blood. " (Assmuth.) 



