TERMITES IN THE CANAL. ZONE AND PANAMA. 11 



that used in the forms when the locks were built. This timber has 

 no purpose here, and all of it was infested, usually very badly, and 

 nearly all termite galleries ran to some of this wood. 



In the long service tunnel, in the center wall, some of the cables 

 run in the space between the ceiling and walls — i. e., a niche was pro- 

 vided for this purpose. Small creosoted (dipped) blocks of wood had 

 been put at regular intervals as wedges to prevent these cables from 

 falling out. Plenty of termite galleries were found in this big tun- 

 nel, and in many instances these insects had gone to and were found 

 in these creosoted blocks and did not seem to be repelled by the 

 creosote. The termites had also damaged untreated oak and the 

 native hard "bullet wood " braces. 



In one case the termite gallery left one conduit pipe and was con- 

 tinued into space, forming a loop which found no attachment until it 

 reached the lowest point in the next conduit below, and then started 

 to make another loop. (PI. Y,A.) The direction was downward. In 

 the tunnel, where one surface is perpendicular to another, cases were 

 observed where the termites on reaching the next wall continued their 

 tunnel into space; such cases were common, but always appeared to 

 be abnormal and due to the conditions encountered. Such galleries 

 were usually branched, as if the termites were trying to locate a sur- 

 face for attachment. 



The writers were told that at light post 750, after the first few 

 rains of the 1921 rainy season, winged termites emerged from two 

 places in the ground. No specimens were collected by the observers, 

 but at a later date specimens were collected and proved to be Gopto- 

 termes niger. It was said that swallows (not nightjars) came down 

 when this swarming was taking place and fed on these termites, and 

 that they were not frightened by the presence of the men; in fact, 

 that they even moved about between the feet of the men present. 

 The birds not only caught the flying termites while on the wing, but 

 also found the place from which these termites were emerging and, 

 settling on the ground, captured and devoured them as they emerged. 



The All America Cables (Inc.) have had trouble with their 

 transisthmian cables due to damage by termites, and the following 

 notes are taken from a conversation with G. W. Wetjen, jr., of this 

 company: The company has a 4-core cable, lead covered, each core 

 with a heavy rubber insulation, the lead covering protected first by a 

 waterproof cloth, and on top of this a heavy waterproof, tough 

 twine. This cable is buried in the ground and in places it goes 

 through the water of the lake. It has been found that when this 

 cable is buried close to the surface they have no trouble from termites, 

 but when it is more than a foot below the ground there is trouble. This 

 trouble is greater where trees are near by. In land reclaimed by filling- 

 no trouble has been discovered as yet. 6 The termites go right through 

 the outer waterproof protections, through the lead, and through 

 the rubber. The insects do not seem to like copper, for as soon as 

 they have tried this metal they leave it. In some cases termites 

 were found to be very plentiful, but usually when trouble is " picked 

 up " the insects that caused it have gone or have been dispersed by 

 the men making the preliminary excavations. Soldiers of Copto- 



6 Undoubtedly, however, there will be trouble later when the termites have invaded the 

 soil. 



