WOOD-DEfSTROYING WHITE AXTS. 381 



fig-tree (Ficm reli(jioi<a) is represented*. The heart-wood of" the 

 branch has not been touched by the Termites, but otlierwise a good 

 many holes varying in depth have been made from the bark inwards. 



The fillings of Odoiitotermes Fea- are (juite distinctive of this 

 species. They invariably consist of coarse earthy material — red, 

 black, or grey, as the case may be — taken from the surrounding 

 S-round. The Termites are in the habit of stuffine' Avith this 

 material any cavities in the wood, no matter whether alread}^ 

 existent as v.g., in hollow bamboo-poles, or made by the Termites 

 themselves. Small tunnels traverse the frequently large masses of 

 mud piled up in the holes ; here and there widened chambers are 

 constructed where usually a great many Termites may be found 

 together. The inner surface of the tunnels as well as the chambers 

 is rather rough, hardly any polishing being noticeable. The mud 

 seems scarcely to be impregnated with special secretions to make 

 it hard as most of our mound-builders are wont to do with the 

 building material of their nests ; consequentl}^ the fillings of Odonto- 

 termes Fece are easily broken especially when they are dry. 



Beside the characteristic feeding figures and fillings, there is an- 

 other very noteworthy means to find out the three just mentioned 

 kinds of wood-destroyers, idz., their particular time of swarming. 

 As has been said before, numbers of freshly reared winged forms 

 (males and females) leave the nests at certain seasons of the year. 

 These swarming periods are the same every year, and more or less 

 different for the different species — or, at least, genera — of White 

 Ants. Now with regard to our common wood-eaters, I have been 

 able to ascertain the following through observations extending 

 over a couple of years : Leucotermes swarm in the morning (8 o'clock 

 and later) during the first showers of the monsoon ; Cojjtotermes 

 leave the nest towards sunset at various times dimng the dry season, 

 specially in January, February and March ; Odontotermes take wing 

 before nightfall shortly after the close of the rainy season, usually 

 in the last third of September. So, when we see winged Termites 

 coming out of an underground nest at the said periods, we may be 

 sure that they are either Leucotermes, or Go^Jtotermes, or Odontoter- 

 mes, as the case may be. 



Concerning the other less frequent, and therefore less important, 

 kinds of wood-destroying Termites, I regret to be for the present 

 unable to give reliable details about their feeding figures and fillings ; 

 the investigations I have so far been able to make are not sufficient- 

 ly numerous to allow of general conclusions. How^ever I doubt not 

 that also with regard to these kinds similar characteristic features 

 will be brought to light by further studies. For the time being Ave 



* I have to thank Mr. J. W. MacKison, Executive Engineer to the Bombay 

 Municipality, for this fine specimen now in the Biological Museum of St. Xavier'a 

 College. — None of our wood-eaters destroy live trees, but only dry portions of them • 



