LIFE-HISTORY OF THE BODY-LOUSE 33 



opened for the first time. It was full of lice, 

 alive and dead, and the cast skins, which, together 

 with the piece of flannel contained in the box, 

 formed a compact mass ; 507 living lice of various 

 ages were counted, while there were innumerable 

 eggs. The conditions had of course been by no 

 means ideal for the lice, for it was difficult to 

 understand how they had been able to move 

 about in the confined space. 



Death. Death is of course usually accidental 

 owing to crushing or starvation as the result of 

 the louse losing contact with its host, either 

 through the putting off of the garment containing 

 it or to its own wandering. The average life of 

 a louse which does not meet with one of these 

 accidents is from forty to forty-five days ; a very 

 short period compared to that of a flea, which 

 may survive a year. Towards the approach of 

 death the louse becomes very thin and anaemic- 

 looking. It ceases to breed or feed, and may 

 continue to exist for several days in this senile 

 condition before death overtakes it. 



REFERENCES 



(1) NUTTALL, G. H. F. "The Biology of Pediculus humanus," 



Parasitology , vol. x. pp. 80-185. 



(2) NUTTALL, G. H. F. "The Copulatory Apparatus and the Process, 



of Copulation in Pediculus humanm-" Parasitology, vol. ix. pp. 

 293-324. 



(3) BAOOT, A. "A Contribution to the Bionomics of Pediculux 



humanus (vestimenti) and Pediculus capitis," Parasitology, vol. ix. 

 pp. 228-258. 



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