78 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



lected after the dead birds are brought to the laboratory 

 or museum. Most of my collecting has been done in 

 connection with the collection of the birds for museum 

 purposes. The parasites frequent all parts of the body of 

 the host, but after death of the host are especially to be 

 sought about the lores and base of the bill. Here they 

 seem to congregate, and while sometime after death of 

 the host many parasites leave the body others will stop 

 their traveling at the base of the bill, and rather than 

 leave the body will fasten themselves by claws or man- 

 dibles to the short stiff feathers of this region and die 

 there. The death of the parasites which remain on the 

 body after death of the host takes place in from four or 

 five hours to seven days. In most cases all of the parasites 

 are dead at the end of two or three days. It is evident, in 

 face of the fact that after death of host many parasites 

 leave the body, that much care must be taken to prevent 

 " straggling,'' i. e., parasites from one bird getting upon 

 some other bird which may be conveniently near. In the 

 game-bag each bird should be well wrapped in paper, or, 

 as is common with collectors, placed in a paper cone head 

 downwards. 



In addition to the examination of newly-killed birds, 

 the examination of freshly-made skins may be made, or 

 even of old and dry skins. On these skins the dried 

 bodies of the dead insects, their external appearance (in 

 case of adults) little modified because of their firm chi- 

 tinous covering, may be found attached by the mandibles 

 to the feathers. 



The collected insects should be kept in alcohol in vials. 

 I put all of the parasites taken from one bird specimen 

 in a single vial, giving this vial an accessions number and 

 putting into it a label bearing name of locality, date and 

 name of bird. Later, with opportunity, the specimens 



