64 {August, 
Insects in Birds’ Nests, §c.—The interesting communication of Mr. EH. A. 
Waterhouse (p. 15) reminds me that Herr Cornelius published in the “ Stettiner 
Entomologische Zeitung,’ 1869, p. 4081, an account of his researches in birds’ 
nests ; and, as the author says, as the subject has received but little notice, it may 
be useful to draw the attention of our collectors thereto, and to this end I give a 
résumé of Herr Cornelius’ discoveries. 
In Germany it is common to put up, on trees and houses, boxes in which 
starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) make their nests. In one such box, after three years’ 
use, at first by starlings, and then for two years by swifts (Cypselus apus), were 
found 55 pupz of Oxypterum pallidwm, Leach, from which the flies emerged in the 
April following, but a few produced a parasitic Pteromalus ; also some living Cryp- 
tophagi and Lathridii: other boxes gave a like result. An examination of the 
excrement of the old swifts showed that these birds feed only, in part at least, on 
flies and soft insects, and for the rest on hard Coleoptera. Undigested fragments 
—elytra, heads, and legs,—of Psylliodes chrysocephalus, Linn., abounded to such an 
extent that the excrement was rendered shining-green ; often an entire beetle of 
this species, or of Ps. nigricollis, Marsh. (which the author rightly esteems only as 
a var. of it), was found therein. In the excrement of the young birds were seen . 
many remains of other beetles, namely, Tachyporus, numerous Curculionide, es- 
pecially Piytonomus, and (‘if I do not err’’) Polydrusus, also Apion and Ceuthor- 
hynchus. Of the Rhynchota several species of Aphrophora were numerously repre- 
sented. 
“One does not comprehend how the swifts obtain these insects, which mostly 
“‘ live on the leaves of low plants, considering that the birds are scarcely ever seen 
“elsewhere than high in the air.” In the nests of the swifts were found many 
examples of Anthrenus pimpinelle, in the larva, pupa, and imago states ; in one, 
which was only one summer old, as many as 110 larve, and, says the author “TI 
“ believe I may venture to assume that this beetle is developed exclusively in con- 
“ nection with Cypselus apus.”’ 
In the nests of the swallows (Hirundo rustica) were found several species of 
Ptinus, Cryptophagus, and Lathridius, and numerous pupe of a fly hitherto not much 
noticed—Ornithomyia tenella, Rogenhofer, which were developed in a room from 
March to May. The perfect insect flies well, by starts. The pup are smaller 
than those of Oxypterum pallidum, but larger than those of Stenopteryx hirundinis, 
Linn., also somewhat flatter and more chestnut-brown coloured than the latter, 
which are almost coal-black and shining. Lepisma saccharina was especially abun- 
dant in these nests; 40 specimens, large and fine, were taken, in the winter, out of 
one nest. Chelifer cancroides was also abundant, and many larvee of Tenebrio mo- 
litor and Attagenus pellio were found. 
In the nests of the martin (Hirundo urbica) were found species of Ptinus and 
Lathridius, numerous light-coloured fleas, and a quantity of pupz of Stenopteryw 
hirundinis, often 100 in a nest, and Lyctocoris domestica, larva and pupa. ‘‘ Here, 
and also in sparrows’ nests, lives an Acanthia, which, notwithstanding Herr Fieber’s 
view to the contrary, is certainly distinct from A. lectularia.” [This is most pro- 
bably A. hirundinis, Jenyns. Fieber says in the Europ. Hemipt. that all the so- 
called species that he had seen were only A. lectularia.—J. W. D.]| 
