232 Kellogg, Some Parasites of Birds. [^ 



under parts is a quite unique character. I would therefore des- 

 ignate the Turkeys as follows : 



Meleagris fera. Northern Turkey. Pennsylvania to Florida, 

 west to Wisconsin and Texas. 



Meleagris fera osceola. Florida. 



Meleagris intermedia. Southern Texas ; Eastern Mexico below 

 2000 feet. 



Meleagris gallopavo. Western Texas to Arizona. Tablelands 

 of Mexico. 



Under these names the Turkeys will appear in the third edi- 

 tion of ' Game Birds.' 



SOME PARASITES OF BIRDS. 



BY VERNON L. KELLOGG, PROFESSOR OF ENTOMOLOGY, LELAND 

 STANFORD JR. UNIVERSITY. 



All collectors of birds have noticed, and some have been 

 made uncomfortable by, certain small flat, wingless, quickly-run- 

 ning insects which infest, in varying degree of abundance, the 

 outside of birds' bodies. These insects are known as Mallophaga 

 and are of such peculiar and unusual structural condition, differ- 

 ing so markedly from any other insects, that they have been con- 

 stituted an independent order of insects, although in number of 

 species they are insignificant compared with the better known 

 insectean orders. 



Yet small as is the group, the number of known species in it, a 

 thousand, approximately, may seem surprisingly large to those 

 unacquainted with the systematic exploitation of the order. 



The Mallophaga are external, wingless parasites of birds and 

 mammals which feed exclusively on the feathers, hairs and der- 

 mal scales of their hosts. They are not lice, if by lice be meant 

 those better known Hemipterous parasites which with piercing 

 beak thrust into the flesh of the host, suck its blood. The Mal- 

 lophaga have mouth parts fitted for biting and chewing, with 



