8 BULLETIN 1232^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of the ceiling, had been built out into space, forming weird branch- 

 ing effects (PL IV, D, E). The workers were seen at the ends of 

 these free galleries, adding particles to them. The longest of these 

 very unusual and interesting free, branching shelter tubes measured 

 exactly 5 inches from the point of attachment to the free end. 

 Along the concrete walls, where the galleries were scraped off, small 

 holes made by these termites right into the concrete were found 

 in places. These holes were usually at an angle of about 45° to the 

 surface, and in one case almost 1 millimeter in depth, although the 

 majority were only about one-half millimeter deep. In all proba- 

 bility these intrusions into the concrete are made only in soft 

 places, and the writers do not believe that any process of solution, 

 due to the liquid ejected from the mouth or frontal gland open- 

 ing of the termites, is involved. Additional notes are given in the 

 legends to the photographs (PL IV) illustrating this species. 



This termite was found also in a manhole opposite lamp post 600,. 

 east wall, Miraflores Locks, Canal Zone (lake side) on the same 

 day. They were along the concrete and along the lead-sheathed 

 cables in the manhole. 



On November 30, 1921, Zetek and Molino found shelter tubes of 

 Leucotermes tenuis in the restaurant of Ancon Inn, Panama City, 

 J Street, near to Ancon, Canal Zone. Several good termite galleries 

 were seen starting from the cross timbers of the ceiling and con- 

 tinuing down the walls. In one case the gallery as it left the timber 

 was suspended in the air and was not attached to the wall until 

 a point about 11 inches from the timber was reached; from this 

 point, however, it descended the wall. In another case about 16 

 inches of shelter tube was free from attachment to the wall. At 

 10 p. m., November 29, a mark was made at the end of one of the 

 wall galleries. The next day at 10 a. m. this was inspected and it 

 was found that in this 12-hour interval the termites had built 12J 

 inches of additional gallery. At the opening of the gallery, but 

 protected by the walls of the tube, two soldiers were stationed. 

 The slender workers came out of the tube, sometimes as much as 

 twice the length of their bodies, and with their mouths deposited 

 something resembling flyspecks on the wall surface. From one to 

 three workers came out at the same time and did not appear to be 

 troubled by the light. Other workers were seen to add small pellets 

 to the still fragile end of the built tube. On scraping the gallery, 

 parts of the plaster and concrete were found into which the termites 

 had made impressions, but these were extremely shallow, not over 

 0.25 millimeter deep. 



INJURY TO LIVING CROPS. 



On April 25, 1922, Zetek found Leucotermes tenuis infesting 

 sugar cane on La Chironga Farm, near Chitre, Republic of Pan- 

 ama. The infested cane is usually brownish in color, and the damage 

 was frequently from 10 to 35 per cent. Thus far this appears to 

 be the most serious sugar-cane pest in Panama. 



COPTOTERMES NIGER Snyder. 



As was predicted, Ooptotermes niger is proving to be one of the 

 most destructive termites of Panama. These termites injure living 



