42 



BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



MALLOPHAGA (Bird-lice). 



These insects live both among the feathers of birds and hair 

 of mammals. They are peculiar in having distinct jaws (Figure 

 36), instead of a sucking tube. The body is flat, corneous, 

 and firm above. The head is horizontal and generally broad. 

 The antennae have three to five joints. The mandibles are 

 small and hook-like. The maxillary palpi, when present, are 

 four-jointed ; and the labial palpi two-jointed. The legs are 

 short and stout,, with one or two strong claws. There are sev- 

 eral hundreds of species already described, nearly every bird 

 having one or several peculiar species. They produce nearly 

 the same effects as the true lice, and may be destroyed by the 

 same remedies. 



Figure 35. 



a Figure 36. 



The Turkey-louse (Goniodes stylifer Denny). 



This is a large species, conspicuously marked with transverse 

 black bands. It is very common both on the domestic and 

 wild turkey, together with three or more other species, one of 

 which is much longer and nearly black. Some of the other 

 species parasitic on the turkey are Liotheum stramineum 

 Nitzsch, Philoplerus polytrapeziusNitzsch. 



The Hen-lice (Liotheum pallidum Nitzsch, Philoplerus 

 variabilis N., P. heterographus N., P. dissimilis N., and P. 



Figure 35. Turkey-louse ( Goniodes stylifer Denny), much enlarged. 

 Figure 36. Head of same, seen from below, more magnified ; a, mouth organs ; 

 b, antenna. Both from Cuvier. 



