442 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



bed-bug (Fig. S), is exceedingly tenacious of life, as 

 it has been kept in a glass bottle for years without 

 food, and through all this long fast seemed to lose 

 none of its activity or appetite. The best remedy 

 for bed-bugs is a free use of the thoroughly rectified 

 benzine. This will not injure bedding and is quick 

 death to all the bugs tliat it touches. It should be 

 poured into all suspicious crevices. Old houses that 

 harbor these obnoxious pests should be closely shut 

 up, and then thoroughly fumigated with burning 

 sulphur, which becomes a fitting insecticide for the 

 bugs. It would be better if the house were entirely 



FiGS-BED-BUG, MUCH 3IAGK1FIED empty duHug thls opcratlon. Thorough ventilation 



should succeed the fumigation. 



LOUSE FAMILY — PEDICULID^. 



The parasitic lice (Fig 10) of man and other animals arc apterous bugs. 

 The head and thorax are small and narrow, the latter indistinctly segmented, 

 Avhile the abdomen is flask-shaped with its nine rings often plainly marked. 



The eyes are simple and very small; the antennaB five- 

 jointed and prominent, while the tarsi or feet are two- 

 jointed, the last joint of which (Fig, 9) is modified into 

 a hook for grasping the hair. The sucking tube of lice 

 — the casus belli of most of the hardest scratching of the 

 world — is very complex and curious. The whole of this 

 Fig. 9-FOOT OF ox.LocsE- organ, when not in use, is drawn into the head. So all 

 lice are criminals in the sight of the law and subjects for conviction, on the 

 ground of bearing concealed weapons. The lower lip is thrown out, as we 

 would push out the finger of a glove that was drawn in upon drawing the glove 

 from the hand. Inside of this are numerous hooks which, when the tube is 

 rolled out to its utmost, attain the outside and point back like the barbs of a 

 fish-hook. When these barbs are pushed through a sweat-pore, each hooks on to 

 the wall, "We thus understand the tenacious hold which characterizes a louse 

 while at dinner. When, preparatory to sucking, the hooks have been duly 

 adjusted, two other tubes, one within the other, spy-glass like, are extended, 

 the maxilla) forming the inner or terminal point of the extension, and the 

 mandibles the remainder. The whole proboscis has been compared to an elas- 

 tic probe. This is forced into the skin till it pierces the blood vessels, when by 

 the forcible action of the strong muscular sucking-stomach, these irrepressible 

 blood-suckers are enabled to take a quick meal. 



There arc three species of lice that disturb the peace and quiet of the human 

 family. The head louse, (Fig. 10) Pediculus capitis (De Geer), 

 is the most common. It is said that in olden times it was thought 

 no disgrace, but fashionable and desirable, to harbor and nour- 

 ish these crawling pigmies of the head ; now they arc only com- 

 mon among such people as neglect personal neatness. The most 

 cleanly person may be so unfortunate as to possess specimens 

 not pinned in an entomological cabinet, but he will soon banish 

 them according to the fa-hion well understood in all civilized 

 society. The grayback, Pediculus corporis (De Geer) is not con- 

 fined to the head, and was the irritating pesb of our brave 

 soldiers in the late war. It is apt to be a source of annoyance 

 in lumber cani})s and on ship-board. This species is so like the 

 HEAD-LOUSE. licad lousc in appearance that were not the habits so different, 



