308 THE entomologist's record. 



loses makes it rather a waste, as I had at least three dozen larvae. They 

 feed up very slowly, are fearful cannibals, and eat a good deal of lichen. 

 Mine were fed on the common green powdery species, that grows on 

 almost any damp surface. By keeping them in a closed tin the lichen 

 keeps fresh pretty well, but it is difficult to get a sufficient supply. It 

 is satisfactory to know that, by careful treatment, one can breed this 

 species, as one hears of failure so frequently. 



Ceratophyllus fringillae, Walker {in'th plate). 



By the Hon. N. C. ROTHSCHILD, B.A., F.Z.S., F.E.S. 



In our previous article on the fleas found on birdsf , no mention 

 was made of that species commonly found in the nests of the House- 

 sparrow {Passer cJoniesticus). At that time, we were unable to decide 

 whether the insect which Walker described as Pidex friuiiillae, in 1856, 

 was really distinct from its close ally ('. (jallinae. A careful examina- 

 tion and comparison of a very long series of both insects have convinced 

 us that these two species are abundantly distinct. 



The flea commonly found on the sparrow is much paler than C. 

 tiallinae, and a little smaller. The pronotal comb of C. frivf/illae, 

 moreover, consists of from 29 to 34 spines, while that of C. (/allrnae 

 usually has less than 28. These spines are slenderer than those of C. 

 Ijallinae, owing to there being a larger number in practically the same 

 space. The metathoracic epimerum of C. frint/illae bears five hairs, one 

 being situated at the apex, two beneath the stigma and two near the 

 base. ('. (laUiiiac has from six to seven hairs on the epimerum. The 

 hind femur of ( '. i/alliuae bears, on the surface, a lateral series of five or 

 six hairs, while in C. frinf/illac there are eight or nine similarly situated. 

 The tarsal segments bear fewerhairson the ventral surfaceinC. friwiillae 

 than in ('. (jallinae: the basal pair of hairs, moreover, found on the 

 second, third and fourth tarsal segments in ('. ;iallinae, are absent in 

 ( '. friniiillae. The movable finger of the clasper of the male of the 

 present species (fig. 1) is slenderer than in C. (/allrnae, and the hairs are 

 different in length and position. At the hinder edge there are three 

 long hairs besides some short ones, which are far thinner than those of 

 ('. (/allinae, and of which the upperiiiost is the longest. In C. gallinae, 

 however, the two lower ones are longer and stouter than the one 

 situated at the apex. The manubrium is strongly curved in C. frbuiillae, 

 while it is nearly straight in C. (jallinae. The eighth sternite bears at 

 the apex from two to four bristles only. It is, moreover, produced at 

 each side into a membranous tapering flap, which appears as a direct 

 prolongation of the sternite. In ('. (jallinae this flap stands nearly at 

 right angles to the sternite. The 7th sternite of the female of ('. 

 fringillae is similar to that of ('. (jallinae but bears more hairs (fig. 3). 



We have examined a very large series of both sexes of nearly 100 

 specimens of this insect taken from the nests of the House-sparrow 

 [Passer riomesticus) at Tring in 1900 and 1902. In addition to these 

 we have received one female specimen taken from the nest of a swift 

 [Cypseliis apns) in August 1901, near Bridgewater, by Mr. G. -Tare, 



* Pulej: friiiqillae, Walker, D/pf. Brit., III., p. 4 (1856). 

 t ^"'^v. ZooL, VII., p. 539 (1900). 



