XXIV 
Journal of Proceedings. 
Mr. Andrew Johnston said he did not think they had a martin’s nest 
left in the country side, except a few which were inhabited by sparrows, 
and this was occasioned, he supposed, by the thickness of the population 
encouraging the sparrows. He ’wished to ask Col. Russell two questions. 
One was whether, if they could destroy the sparrows sufficiently, the 
martins would come back, after having lost the habit of being there ? 
And he was told that martins’ nests were inhabited by bugs. Had Col. 
Russell’s 130 martins’ nests produced a corresponding appearance of that 
objectionable insect inside his house ? 
Col. Russell had no doubt the martins would come back, and that in 
ten years’ time the place would be full of them. He knew that martins 
were commonly said to bring bugs, but he did not believe it. He had 
never traced any connection between the bed-bug and the martin ; in fact, 
he thought that the bird’s nest-parasite was a different species. 
Mr. W. Cole said that the parasite of the martins’ nests was a true 
Cimex, but was not the same species as the bed-bug ( G. lectularius L.). 
It had been described by Jenyns as Cimex hirundinis, and is somewhat 
smaller, narrower, and more hairy than the common species. He 
believed it had never been found within houses. The bugs infesting bats 
and pigeons were likewise considered to be distinct forms by some ento¬ 
mologists, and had been described under the names of Cimex pipistrelli 
and C. columbarius .* 
Mr. Letchford said that though Col. Russell had brought a long list of 
charges against the sparrows, he did not think it any too long. Accounts 
from South Australia showed that the importation of sparrows by that 
colony had been very disastrous; they had taken the whole crop of 
grapes. They had not heard Col. Russell charge the sparrows with 
taking our fruit, but he believed it was one of the indictments which 
might be brought against them. 
Col. Russell said that Mr. Letchford was perfectly right. In America, 
Australia, and New Zealand sparrows had been introduced, and the 
people did not like them at all. But he had heard of other birds—green- 
finches in New Zealand, for instance—that when sent abroad they not 
only practised all the wickednesses they committed here, but developed 
fresh ones. Sparrows seldom destroy fruit in this country ; he had never 
seen them do so himself, but he had heard from others that they some¬ 
times attack cherries and green currants, pulling off and dropping a good 
many. Most of the sparrows in this country would be got rid of if all 
could be induced to crush their oats, for the number of any birds 
depended on the amount of food at the worst time, such as the middle of 
winter. 
Mr. Rees said it was quite true that the sparrows had done a great 
deal of harm in Australia; he had received a letter a short time ago from 
* Specimens of C. lectularius and C. hirunclinis were exhibited, as well as the curious 
dipteron, Stenopteryx hirundinis of Leach, which also infests the martin.—E d. 
