112 PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 21, NO. 5, MAY, 1919 



also occur in the soil beneath. The dark colored, oval, oblong 

 cocoons spun by the larvae, to which particles of sand and dust are 

 attached, were sifted from the nest material and from sand; 

 mature larvae were in the cocoons early in June and on June 2s, 

 1910. These numerous fleas must be very troublesome to both 

 old and young birds. This flea is closely related to Ceratophyllus 

 gallinae, but apparently is distinct. 



Lepidopterous larvae were found in the feathers of the nest 

 material but were not common. They were determined by C. 

 Heinrich as a species of the family Tineidae. These larvae feed 

 on the feathers. 



Hymenopterous parasites were reared from the nest material ; 

 probably they were parasitic on the Lepidopterous larvae. 



On the nearly mature nestlings parasitic Mallophaga were 

 found to be common. The species is Menopon dissimile Kellogg, 

 according to J. H. Paine. This parasite also occurs on the purple 

 martin (Progne sub-is), a bird which probably once nested in holes 

 in cliffs. The Mallophaga may be more easily located on the 

 outstretched wings of the birds; they rapidly retreat to the base 

 of the feathers when exposed. 



Adults of the Staphylinid beetle were found flying about the 

 entrance to the swallows' nests at 6 P.M. on July 11, 1916. 



On June 22, 1918, the swallows' nests were again visited. 

 Larvae of the Staphylinid Micro glotta and larvae and cocoons 

 of the flea Ceratophyllus were common. 



H. S. Barber on a later trip June 27, 1918, with T. E. Snyder, 

 found the young of an antlion, which he believes to be Dendroleon 

 sp., on the soil beneath nest material. The young had not dug 

 a pit but was free, being covered, however, with debris and dried 

 bodies of its prey. It is undoubtedly predaceous on other insect 

 life in the nests. At this date most of the birds were able to fly 

 and had left the nests. 



In order to know in what conditions the nests were in the 

 winter, on December 23, 1918 a. bright warm day the nests 

 were visited. One living adult flea was the only insect found in 

 the nests which the birds had abandoned in the autumn. Flea 

 cocoons found were all empty. The nest material and the soil 

 beneath were carefully sifted, the ground not being frozen. 



NEW GENERA AND SPECIES OF ICHNEUMON FLIES (HYM.). 



BY R. A. CUSHMAN, Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C. 



This paper contains the descriptions of three new genera, 

 three new species, and a new variety of Ichneumonidae and one 

 new species of Braconidae. 



