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. V,A.) The direction was downward. In 
the tunnel, Avhere 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 Copto- 
temves 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 termite-. 
but when it is more than a foot below the ground there i-; 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- 
Undoubtedly, however, there vrill be trouble later when the termites have i ,! 
soil. 
