20 BULLETIN 1232, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE 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 -±.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. ephratae 
by the United States Bureau of Chemistry resulted in the following 
report : 
Nasutitermes ephratae (M. 3S248). The material submitted under this num- 
ber was found to consist essentially of plant material, part of which gave rhe 
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. cormgera and A. 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, very fragile, of 
paperlike consistence. Termites were crawling about uncovered 
everywhere on the ground. 
Xaxiif/hrnxs colwmbicus also cuter- the wood of avocado trees. 
At Frijoles, Canal Zone, on February 1. 1922, galleries of this ter- 
mite were found on an avocado tree (Plate X. .1). These galli 
were, paperlike in texture, thin, and gray: they measured one-half 
