METHODS AND MATERIAL 



All birds were collected under permits granted by the Federal 

 Government and the State of New Hampshire. Most of the larger birds 

 were shot with a 20 gauge shotgun equipped with a poly-choke and 

 equipped with a .410 adapter for some of the smaller birds. Sets of 

 fine mist nets, (type A)l, were used for collecting a great many of 

 the passerine birds. 



Birds were placed in a closed container, usually a pint or quart 

 ice cream carton, containing a wad of chloroformed cotton and left for 

 several minutes. The bird is then removed and shaken over a large 

 sheet of white paper. Ruffing the feathers and running a blunt dis- 

 secting needle under the feathers and then out at right angles aids in 

 dislodging the lice. 



Another method for removing Mallophaga from their hosts is dusting 

 with the silica aerogel, Dri-Die 61^- After mist-netting, the birds 

 are placed in a plastic bag and dusted with a hand bulb duster. The 

 bird and the plastic bag are put into a brown paper sack. The bird be- 

 comes quiet in the darkness. The bird is removed after 15 minutes and 

 its feathers ruffed while it is still inside the plastic bag. The bird 

 is released and the Mallophaga recovered from the plastic bag. 



Dri-Die is an amorphous white powder which, when applied, absorbs 

 the waxy layer of the cuticle and the resulting dehydration kills the 

 Mallophaga. It has the added advantage of irritating the Mallophaga 

 causing them to release their mandibles thus allowing them to drop off 

 the bird. 



The following procedure was used in making permanent slide mounts 

 of the Mallophaga collected during the course of this study. A small 

 incision was made along an intersegmental membrane as far forward on 

 the abdomen as possible. This allowed rapid penetration of the KOH and 

 easy removal of the crop and other body contents. Specimens were cleared 

 in cold 10% KOH for several hours depending on the size of the louse and 

 the amount of sclerotization. They were then transferred to two changes 

 of distilled water where the internal organs were removed. They remained 

 in distilled water for at least two hours. They were then placed directly 

 into Hoyer's Mounting Medium according to the following formula: 



Distilled Water 50 ml. 



Gum Arabic (clear crystals) 30 gm. 



Chloral Hydrate 200 gm. 



Glycerine 20 ml. 



1. Northeastern Bird Banding Association 

 360 Brook Road 



West Hartford, Connecticut 



2. W. R. Grace & Company 

 Davison Chemical Division 

 Baltimore, Maryland 



