SECTION III 



External Parasites 



More than thirty species of external parasites 

 infest birds; their economic importance is very 

 great; fowls heavily infested with any of them 

 are unprofitable and many of the kinds of ex- 

 ternal parasites are so injurious as to kill the 

 infested birds. 



It is necessary to know something of the life 

 history of these parasites and their habits to in- 

 telligently treat their parasitisms. This in- 

 formation is given as briefly as possible in the 

 following pages: 



The external parasites affecting birds consist 

 of lice, which infest all ages and breeds; scab 

 parasites, producing scaly legs; the air sac mite, 

 which is a modified scab parasite and infests the 

 air sacs; the cliigger (chigoe or jigger) or red 

 mite, a great pest in the hot summer months ; a 

 distinct bird flea; the cMclen hug, which in many 

 respects resembles the common bedbug, and the 

 ring worm. In all, seven different classes. 



LICE OF BIRDS 



This embraces a group of biting lice, their 

 bodies are flat and their mouth parts are ar- 

 ranged for biting and cutting. They live upon 

 feathers, epidermis and secretions of the body of 

 their host. As may be noted in Fig. 2, the mouth 

 parts are located just back of the antennge and 

 are not always visible. The antennae or feelers 

 consist of five articles or joints each. The thorax 

 in some species is long and narrow, in others 



35 



