INSECTS INJURIOUS TO DOMESTIC ANIMALS, ETC. 681 



The Body Louse of Chickens * 



Possibly the most common of the chicken lice is this species. 

 It is found on the skin of the fowl 

 rather than on the feathers, but 

 may occur on the neck and head 

 as well as on the body. It is found 

 most frequently just below the 

 vent but may occur in numbers 

 on other regions of the body and 

 on the thighs. Eggs are laid in 

 clusters near the base of the 

 feathers, being most numerous in 

 the regions where the lice are found 

 in greatest numbers. The com- 

 plete life cycle requires about a 

 month, but there is little difference 

 between the young and the adults 

 except in size. The color is yel- 

 lowish and the size of the grown 

 forms is about one-twelfth of an 

 inch in length. This species does 

 the most 



FIG. 598 Body louse : female un- 

 derside. Greatly enlarged. After 

 Bishopp, U. S. Dept. of Agr. 



damage to adult chickens. 



The Shaft Louse t 



This species is smaller than the body 

 louse and is sometimes called the small 

 body louse although it is found on the 

 feathers rather than on the body. It is 

 found on the shaft of the feathers where it 

 feeds on the barbs, for this reason being 

 less injurious than the other species men- 

 tioned, both of which feed on the skin to 

 a great extent. 



Control of Chicken Lice * 



Control of these forms, as is the case with 

 so many other pests, is best accomplished by 

 prevention. If the premises and fowls 

 * Menopon biseriatum Piaget. f Menopon pallidum Nitzsch. 



FIG. 599. The Shaft 

 Louse. U. S. Dept. 

 of Agr. 



