980 Other Mites in the Domestic Animals. 



nests of the hens or other hirds, Avliilo at night it wanders onto 

 the body of the bird (fowls, tnrkeys, pigeons, geese, cage birds, 

 pheasants) where it sueks the blood, and disturbs the peace of 

 the animals. Sometimes, however, the mites also gain access 

 to the bodies of the birds in daj^time, especially into the ear 

 passage, and exceptionally one iinds them in great number all 

 over the body. They are very tenacious of life and may remain 

 alive for several months without nourishment; according to 

 Megnin, their eggs will resist a temperature of 120° C. 



Fowl mites cause anemia, cachexia, loss of feathers by the 

 unrest and abstraction of l)lood which they .produce, and pre- 

 judice the production of eggs in the hens. Not infrequently 

 birds die completely exhausted. Now and then the mites settle 

 also in the nostrils and in the external ear passages, when the 

 birds run about as if wild and swing their heads about (Klee). 



Fig. 158. Leptus autumnalifi. On the left, from the ahdominal side; on the rijjht, 

 (gorged) from the hack. (After Megnin.) 



In such cases the animals die after a short illness. Otto saw 

 mites occur in immense numbers in 3^oung hens where not only 

 the whole bod}^ but also the larynx and trachea were affected. 

 From fowls they may also pass to mammalia (cattle, horses, 

 dogs, cats) especially in stables where chickens are kept. They 

 cause very severe itching as well as skin rashes. Even 

 man may now and then be attacked by the mites. They may 

 also penetrate the external ear passage of cattle, and if tliey 

 are there in great numl)er they cause restlessness and attacks 

 of dizziness. According to Trouessart and Freund the last men- 

 tioned cases are Railletia auris, which was designated as Garaa- 

 sus auris by Leydy and others. 



Literature. Freund, Zool. Jahrb., 1910, XXTX, 31.3 (Lit.).— Goodall, Vet. 

 Eec., 1006, 251.— Klee, D. t. W., 1901, ,-?.— Miilnns, S. B., 18S0, 7.S.— Otto, S. B., 

 1908, 4.5.— Tronessart, C. E., 1902, 806. 



4. Leptus autumnalis. (Autumn grass mite.) It is the 

 larvae of Trombidium holosericeum (Fig. 158) and lives free in 



