280 Phylum Arthropoda 



A large supply of drop-culture slides (those of matte finish with 

 bottom of cell smooth but not polished are the best). 



Trays to hold slides which are of a size easy to handle. 



Cover slips, size 22 mm. 



Vaseline 



Corn meal (yellow meal seems to be the most satisfactory as food). 



The book-louse is placed in the cell of a drop-culture slide with a few 

 grains of corn meal. Too much corn meal will make it impossible for a 

 beginner to find the eggs. The cell is then covered with a 22 mm. cover- 

 slip held in position by a trace of vaseline. As the eggs appear they 

 are placed in separate slides and properly labeled. The eggs usually 

 adhere to the point of a needle when touched, so it is an easy matter to 

 transfer them. The work is best handled indoors in a room of fairly 

 constant temperature. 



M. E. D. 



Order mallophaga 



LIPEURUS HETEROGRAPHUS* 



IN 1930 the writer undertook the study of Mallophaga under con- 

 trolled laboratory conditions. A standard incubator which had a vol- 

 ume of 29,970 cc. was used. Ventholes allowed for proper ventilation. 

 Glass dishes exposing a total water surface of about 100 sq. cms. were 

 placed on the bottom of the incubator to supply the air with moisture. 



Feathers were obtained from the neck region of a white fowl, and 

 were cut into two parts. The fluffier basal portion was fastened in the 

 center of a Syracuse watch glass by means of paste applied to the quill. 

 The barbs of the feathers were trimmed so that they did not come in 

 contact with the edges of the watch glass. 



A male and a female Lipeurus heterographus of unknown age were 

 placed on the feather in each watch glass. The watch glass was num- 

 bered and put in the incubator. The satisfactory temperature was 

 found to be 33°-34° C When an egg was laid, the male and female 

 were placed on a fresh feather in a new dish. 



Breeding was carried on during the summer of 1930. Specimens kept 

 in the incubator until December bred actively during the entire period. 

 The life cycle, from egg to adult, may take 32-36 days. There are 

 three nymphal instars. 



It was found by experiments that lice reared in the incubator would 

 mate and produce fertile eggs. The males and females of Lipeurus 

 heterographus copulate readily in captivity. For study purposes it was 



♦Abstracted from an article in J. Paras. 5:304, 1934. by F. H. Wilson, Tulane Uni- 

 versity. 



