116 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



wasp is to be found in a peculiar habit which the latter possesses. During rainy or 

 dark days and also towards evening, many specimens congregate and sleep together 

 upon stems of low herbaceous plants by securely fastening their mandibles into the 

 stems, and in this condition they are easily secured. 



Ants. — In eight stomachs specimens of various species of ants were found. 



No. 5532 contained 2 ants belonging to the genus Solenopsis, family Myrmicida?. 

 These small ants live in open places, forming nests of various sizes below the surface 

 of the soil, in which they store food, usually the seeds of various kinds of grasses. 



No. 5967 contained 2 females of the minute Brachymyrmex heeri, Forel, family For- 

 micidce. These ants are always found under stones and the females were probably 

 caught while swarming and away from their nest. 



Nos. 5975, 5976, and 6093 contained, together, thirteen specimens of the very small 

 yellow ant (Honomorium pliaraonis Linn.), family Myrmicidce. These ants are very 

 often troublesome in our houses, but are found as well in open places, in gardens, or 

 fields. They are almost omnivorous, and eat all kinds of food found in the house and 

 field, thus causing injury, though more frequently great annoyance, as it is very diffi- 

 cult to eradicate them if once domiciled. 



Nos. 5971, 6004, and 6093 contained each the remains of one ant, too much broken 

 and distorted to enable identification. 



Ichneumonids. — The stomachs Nos. 5523 and 6087 contained each the broken legs 

 of a hymenopterous insect apparently belonging to the family of Ichneumonidce. The 

 pieces are too small to enable one to even judge the genus. The Ichneumonidce are 

 well known to check the too rapid increase of plant-feeding insects. 



Hylaspis sp. — In No. 5532 was found one of these very peculiar and minute in- 

 sects. It is a member of the family Cynipidce and of the subfamily Figitince, and is 

 closely allied to HyJaspis americana Ashm. This little Hymenopterou belongs to the 

 parasitic Cynipidce ; it has never been raised from its host, but is very likely parasitic 

 upon the larvas of a Sawfly. 



Undetermined Hymenoptera. — In the stomachs of Nos. 123, 5665, 5712, 6007, 

 6110, and 6153 were found the remains of as many Hymenoptera. These remains 

 consist of very small pieces of the legs or abdominal segments too much broken or 

 ground up by the accompanying sharp gravel to permit identification. 



Order Coleoptera. 



Diplotaxis sp. — In stomach No. 5636 were found small pieces of a beetle belong- 

 ing to this genus, allied to the chafers and destructive to vegetation. The species 

 of Diplotaxis are never, however, very numerous. Nothingis known of the life-history 

 of the genus. 



Aphodius fimetarius L. — Three specimens of this beetle were found in stomachs 

 Nos. 123, 3360, and 5636. The species is common to Europe and North America, and 

 both larva and perfect beetle feed in the excrement of various animals and may be 

 thus considered beneficial. The female beetle also stores some of the dung in bur- 

 rows and deposits an egg upon the same, the larva hatching therefrom developing on 

 the food thus stored up. 



Aphodius granarius L. — Two specimens of this beetle were found in stomachs 216 

 and 1552. This common species also occurs in Europe and North America, and has a 

 very similar life-history. 



Laohnosterna, evidently fusca. — In the stomachs of 5526, 5528, 5529, 5548, 5972, 

 and 6018 were found pieces, usually joints of legs, of the above beetle, and in stomach 

 1593 occurred four large larvae of this beetle. It is not possible from the character of 

 the fragments to determine the species of this rather difficult genus, but as some of 

 the Sparrows were killed in the grounds of the Department of Agriculture, where 

 fusca abounded at the time, and the parts otherwise correspond, the probabilities are 

 all in favor of their belonging to this common species. 



These beetles, produced from the well-known White-grubs, are sometimes very inju- 



