horny excrescence on each side surrouiuiinsf llic 

 spiracles: tlie binder segment wiih a black 

 patcb on each side ; legs pale, long and thick. 

 Lentfth 1| to li lines. (Fi^. 4.) 



This species is found, for the most part, in 

 great plenty on all kinds of swine, although cer- 

 tain breeds ajipcar to be infested wiili more 

 than others. :Mr. Denny states that it does not 

 appear to be Sfo generally spread as might be 

 expected from the dirty habit.s of the animals. 



" It most fieqnently occurs (he says) on those fresh 

 imported from the Si>Ier Isle. It was many monihs 

 before I could obtain a single example, "l had ap- 

 plied to both farmers and pig butchers, neither of 

 whom seemed to approve of the idea which I had 

 conceived of tlitir pigs being latiey. but referred mc 

 to those ol the Emerald Isle as being sure to gratiiy 

 my wishes — (forgetting. I suspect, that thd Irish pigs 

 come to this market to meet English buyers.) 1 ac- 

 cordingly visited a colony just arrived, when I cer- 

 tainly met with a ready supply ; but here they were 

 conlined almost entirely to lean animals, and wheit^v- 

 er I found a pig fat or healthy, no game were to be 

 seen. In walking, this species uses the claw and tib- 

 tal tooth with great facility (which act as linger and 

 thumb) in taking hold of a single hair. The male is 

 much smaller, with the abdomen shorter, suborbicu- 

 lai', and the segments lobate ; the egg or nit is J of a 

 line in length, of a cream-color, and eleirantly sha- 

 greened, oblong, and slightly acuminated,"surround- 

 ed by a Ud, which, when the young insect is ready 

 to emerge, splits circularly, or, as a botanist would 

 say, has a circumcisile dehiscence." 



H. axini, Pcdirulnx asiui. Linn. Louse of 

 THE Ass. — About the .size of the preceding spe- 

 cies; color rust-yellow on the head and thorax, 

 the former very long, narrow anteriorly, with 

 two black patches on each side near the apex ; 

 abdomen large and ovate, pale-yellowish white, 

 wrinkled and hairy, with a dusky, horny ex- 

 crescence surrounding each spiracle ; the last 

 segment with a large angular black spot on 

 each side ; legs short and thick, the color of the 

 thorax. Length 1 to 1| lines. 



This parasite is very plentiful on the ass, par- 

 ticularly about the hcatl and mane. but. proba- 

 bly, owing to the thick skin of the animal, it 

 docs not appear to occasion it much annoyance. 

 The rabbit is also infested with a peculiar spe- 

 cies of Htrmnlopinns, and likewise the dog, but 

 they seldom increase to any great extent. 



These are the principal pedicular parasites 

 which are most annoying to our mo.st use- 

 ful quadrupeds. Birds of almost every kind, 

 whether wild or lame, have also their peculiar 

 iidiabilants of this class ; not a few of them are 

 infested by several ditlbrent kinds. This is the 

 case more especially with the common domes- 

 tic fowl, which lias at least five species appro- 

 priated to it. Of these, one of the most com- 

 mon, which may be seen running over the hands 

 of those eniploj-ed in plucking fowls, and which 

 is difficult to bru.sh off. owing to the Halness and 

 smoothness of its body, is the 



MenopoH ptiU'tditm, Pcdicnlus s^ull/iur, Linn. 

 It is very minute, not exceeding ^ or J of a line 

 in length ; the color pale straw, the surface 

 shining and smooth; head triangular and ob- 

 tuse, with pitchy spots on each side ; aniennte 

 with the fourth joint large and oblong, and ter- 

 minating in a tuft of hairs ; eyes dark ; abdomen 

 elongate oval, the segments ec|ual ; legs rather 

 thick, the anterior thighs broad and round. The 

 other species which infest poultry are the (joni- 

 odes dissimilix, a genus remarkable for havitig, 

 in the males, the third joint of the antenna; re- 

 curved toward the first, and forming a claw, by 

 which the insect can lay hold of a hair, the barb 

 (lortg) 



of a feather, or any other small object; Goni- 

 colcs hologaxler, having the head, thorax and 

 legs pale yellow, with pitchy black marginal 

 bands and spots, and the abdomen with pale 

 ash colored lateral bands bordered with black. 

 Neither of these two species is common. But 

 the Lipcnnii; i-ariaOi/is. whicli may be known by 

 being of a dull white color margined with black, 

 i.s very abundant on the domestic fowl, prefer- 

 ring the primai-y and secondary feathers of the 

 wings, among the webs of which it moves with 

 great celerity. 



Two or three different species inhabit the va- 

 rious kinds of pigeon. Of these the most com- 

 mon is (ioniucoles compmr, which has a large 

 alied, with produced acute angles behind, from 

 each of which t\\o long bristles |)roject ; abdo- 

 men while, broad and obovatc. ihe margin all 

 round ru.sty brown ; length from 1 to Inline. 

 Next to this in frequency, and sometimes sliU 

 more abundant, is Lipcurus Ijacnlns, llie body 

 of which is very narrow and elongated, the head 

 angular and depressed; the abdomen nearly 

 cylindrical, dull yellow-white, with a scries of 

 large ti^apCzoidal dusky patches on each side. 

 Few birds. Mr. Denny remarks, arc so infested 

 with parasites as the CohnnOidtc ; besides four 

 species of lice, he has found upon them a large 

 Ixodes, a small Acarii.i, and the Pnlex cohim- 

 b(F ; and K ev. S. .Tenyns detected a bug, Civiex 

 cvhtmbnrhis, which he has described in the 

 "Annals of Natural History."* 



Grouse, and their near ally, the common par- 

 tridge, are far from being exempted from these 

 unwelcome visitors ; and in unliealihy sea.sons, 

 when the former are in a debilitated state, the 

 attacks of the parasites tend greatly to retard or 

 prevent their recovery. Gouiodes le/raouis in- 

 fests both the black-cock and common grouse, 

 and is, for the most part, very common. The 

 form of the head resembles that of Goniocoles 

 covipar ; color of the head and thorax pale 

 chestnut yellow; abdomen pale yellowish-white, 

 obovate, lateral margin bright chestnut, each seg- 

 ment, except the antcpeimltimate, with a pitclij- 

 sutural, .somewhat club-shaped, abbreviated 

 band. Length about a line ; the female some- 

 what larger. Nirinvs cr/mcrn/ns is also com- 

 mon on the red grouse. It is much smaller than 

 the above, deep chesnut color and pilose ; head 

 short, and .somewhat heart-shai»ed ; central band 

 and sutures of the abdomen pale yellow wiiite. 

 The species most frequently ob.served on the 

 common j)artiidge is MetKyjmn pvrdricis, a very 

 minute insect, not exceeding § of a line ia 

 length, of a dull ochrey yellow, the head farge 

 and almost semilunar, with a dusky spot on each 

 side, and a band before each eye ; the abdomen 

 broad. A more remarkable looking species, al- 

 .so frequenting this bird, is named Goniodcs dis- 

 pnr, but it is not of frequent occurrence. One 

 of the largest known parasites of this cla.ssoceurs 

 on the peacock. It is Gini'wdrs falcicoritis, 

 Pedicvfns paroiiis, Linn. The female is ahoat 

 2 lines in lengtli ; and the hiale has the first joint 

 of the antenna," with a large' (obih on the internal 

 edge: second cylindrical; the apex oblique; 

 third long and recurved; fourth and fifth very 

 small, in the fcmale filiform. This in.sectmay be 

 found alter the death of the bird collected in 

 immbers about the base of the beak and crovs n 

 of the head. Goniodes slylifti-, which has a 

 considerable general resemblance to the above, 

 is found on the turkey ; it is easily recognized 



' Vol. V. p. 242. 



