20 BULLETIN 1232, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



other such termitarium, inhabited and almost as large, which, it 

 appears, had been torn off of the tree by some men and left on the 

 ground. 



In the termitarium on the trunk were found soldiers (the most 

 abundant form), then workers and young, and finally, all in one 

 place but each within its own compartment, seven large, distended 

 queens 19 to 23 millimeters in length and 4.5 millimeters in width. 

 When disturbed, worker and soldier termites came to the queens and 

 covered them up while others started to move them away to shelter. 



The nest on the ground contained no queens, but was well inhab- 

 ited with soldiers and workers, the former being most numerous. 



Workers and soldiers of this termite, the latter very abundant, 

 were found by Zetek and Molino in galleries on the trunk of a coco- 

 nut palm at Corozal, Canal Zone, July 19, 1922, in the grove pre- 

 viously mentioned. The galleries, samples of which were saved, were 

 from one-half to three-fourths inch wide, thin, and made of chewed 

 wood. 



This species works within the wood, and in numerous places holes 

 were found leading into the palm trunk. The galleries all led to the 

 top or crown of the palm, and were even sprawled over the petioles. 



Most of the palms had termite tunnels of some sort, including 

 small, narrow ones, one-fourth inch wide, made by Eutermes sp. 

 Workers were found by Zetek and Molino in these small earthen 

 galleries on the trunk of a coconut palm at Corozal, Canal Zone, 

 July 19, 1922, in the same grove. 



COMPOSITION OF SHELTER TUBES. 



A microchemical examination of these shelter tubes of N. ephrdtae 

 by the United States Bureau of Chemistry resulted in the following 

 report : 



Ndsutitermes ephratae (M. 3S248). The material submitted under this num- 

 ber was found to consist essentially of plant material, part of which gave the 

 usual microchemical reaction for lignin. Siliceous material was practically 

 absent. 



NASUTITERMES COLUMBICUS Holmgren. 



Nasutitermes columbicus apparently does not construct regular 

 semispherical carton tree nests, but otherwise it does not differ in 

 habits from N. comigera and N. ephratae. 



On October 25, 1921, at Frijoles, Canal Zone, Zetek and Molino 

 found this termite on the trunk of an avocado tree. A vine grew 

 along the tree trunk and was completely hollowed out by the ter- 

 mites. There were galleries along the trunk of the tree, but the 

 termites did not enter the avocado wood. On the ground the tunnels 

 were uncovered; these galleries were semicircular, three-fourths to 

 three-eighths inch wide, and as much as three-eighths inch in 

 height; they were of fine red granular dirt, thin, veiy fragile, of 

 paperlike consistence. Termites were crawling about uncovered 

 everywhere on the ground. 



Nasutitermes columbicus also enters the wood of avocado trees. 

 At Frijoles, Canal Zone, on February 4, 1922, galleries of this ter- 

 mite were found on an avocado tree (Plate X, A)). These galleries 

 were paperlike in texture, thin, and gray; they measured one-half 



