244 On the Tropical Fowl Mite in Australia. 
In the same consignment of parasitic Acari, he also sent 
examples of L. bursa found biting human beings at Cre- 
morne, Sydney (10. xii. 1915). Dr. Cleland suggests the 
possibility of their having come from English starlings 
building in the house. In his important paper on ‘ Injuries 
and Diseases of Man in Australia attributable to Animals 
(except Insects)” *, Dr. Cleland says :— 
“ Gamasids from Fowls.—Gamasids, probably Dermanyssus 
avium, sometimes pass from fowls and chickens to persons 
handling them, when the irritation they cause produces 
a rash. An instance of this at Port Pirie, in South 
Australia, has been mentioned to me, and doubtless many 
others have occurred.” 
“Gamasids from Starlings—In Sydney, it has been 
reported that in some cases, where English starlings have 
built in the roof, the dwellers in the house have suffered 
much irritation from mites introduced by the birds. In one 
case, in a church, it is said that the roof had to be renovated 
on account of the annoyance caused to the congregation by 
these creatures.. The mites, Dr. T. Harvey Johnston tells 
me, may prove the same as the one on fowls.” 
It is probable that both the Gamasids from fowls and 
starlings mentioned in the above extracts are referable to 
LI. bursa, as were those from the same hosts forwarded to 
me for examination. It is a remarkable fact that the 
European fowl-mite (Dermanyssus galling, Redi) apparently 
does not thrive in tropical and subtropical countries. Ihave 
examined numerous batches of Gamasid fowl-mites from 
different parts of the tropics, and there has never been a 
single specimen of Dermanyssus galline amongst them. 
The species sent was always L. bursa (L. morsitans, mihi). 
Liponyssus bursa can easily be distinguished from D. galline 
by the structure of its cheliceree (mandibles), which are in 
the form of pincers, instead of each of them being a long 
fine style; the shape of the dorsal scutum is also very 
different, &c. The wide distribution of L. bursa is possibly 
due to this mite being carried about by the common sparrow. 
It is practically certain that when the name Dermanyssus 
galling is met with in reports by entomologists on the 
parasites of the fowl in tropical countries, Liponyssus bursa 
is the species really concerned. 
* J. Trop. Med, xvi, pp, 43-47 (1918); reprinted from Austr. Med. 
Gaz. (1912), 
