10 
BULLETIN 619, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
to be swallowed easily. This is manifestly impossible for the birds 
of this family, as their bills are weak and they do not perch on the 
ground or other places where they can beat their prey as do other 
birds. 
A few other insects, as dragonfhes, May flies, and lace-winged flies, 
several spiders, a snail, and a few bits of eggshell (collectively, 2.97 
per cent) close the food account. That eggshells and snails should 
be taken by birds that so seldom alight upon the ground may seem 
a little curious, but as they come to the earth in order to get mud for 
their nests, they may possibly do so at other times. There were in the 
stomachs several gravel stones and one or two pieces of old mollusk 
shell, which, like the snail shell, must have been picked up from the 
ground. 
Summary. — The food of the cliff swallow contains few elements 
that can be criticized from an economic point of view. The destruc- 
tion of a few coccinellid beetles and some parasitic hymenopterans is 
theoretically harmful to the interests of man, but practically it has 
little effect. The bird does no direct injury, and it consumes many 
noxious insects, notably two of the most destructive pests that the 
country has ever known — the chinch bug and the boll weevil. In 
view of this record it is hoped that the practice of tearing down its 
nests will be discontinued. Cliff, or eaves, swallows should be pro- 
tected and encouraged in every way. The belief that they harbor 
bedbugs in their nests is erroneous. Their parasites are of a different 
species from the one that afflicts mankind. 
Following is a list of insects found in stomachs of cliff swallows 
and the number of stomachs in which f ound : 
HEMIPTERA. 
Entylia concisa 
StictocephaJa festwa. 
Clastoptera obtusa — 
Agallia ^-punctata — 
Dcltoeephalus sp 
Eucanthus sp 
Homalodisca sp ^. 
Hymenarcys nervosa- 
Xezara hilaris 
Emesa sp 
Sinea diadema 
Sinea sp 
Reduviolus sp 
Blissus Jeucopterus _. 
Perigenes sp 
Sa-lda sp 
ORTHOPTERA. 
Tettix sp 
Ceuthophilus sp 
COLEOPTERA. 
Elaphru.s ruscarius. 
FAaphrus sp 
Dyschirius marinas. 
COLEoptera — continued. 
Pterosticlius lucublandus 
PterosticJuis scitulus 
Pterostichus sp 
Amara fattax 
Amara sp 
Agonoderus pallipes 
SelenopJiorus sp 
Anisodactylus baltimorensis * 
Brycli ius sp 
Cnemidotus caU-osus 
Cain mi us patruelis 
Helophorus lineatus 
HelopJwrus sp 
Octhebius puncticolJis 
Tropisternus JimbaJis 
Laccobius agiJis 
Laecobius ellipticus 
PhUhydrus hamiUoni 
Cercuon p/'trtextatum 
Cercyon sp 
llegasternum sp 
Cryptopleurum minutum 
Iletcroccrus sp 
PhUonthus varians 
PhilonthuB Jomatus 
1 
1 
1 
1 
2 
1 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
21 
1 
1 
