1 64 INSECTS 



itself. Any animal, including man, will serve, and 

 entrance is usually made between the toes or under 

 toe-nails or claws, because penetration is easiest there. 

 When once in position under the skin, the body of the 

 female enlarges as the eggs develop until it is as big 

 as a pea in an extremely painful and usually festering 

 tumor. The eggs, when ready to be laid, are discharged 

 into the sore, and the wriggling larvae make their way 

 out as best they can, to develop as do others of their 

 kind. Animals often suffer severely from the attacks 

 of these pests which inhabit the southern parts of our 

 country and the tropics, and man is not infrequently 

 attacked where he goes bare-footed. Where "jiggers" 

 are well known the nature of the attack is usually recog- 

 nized at once, and the insect removed with a needle or 

 a knife-point; sometimes a wet quid of tobacco is tied 

 over the infested spot for a few hours, and this softens 

 the skin and usually kills the pest so that removal is 

 easy. If the matter is neglected and removal is not 

 attempted until the eggs are developed, the work must 

 be carefully done so as to avoid breaking the body of 

 the female and discharging the eggs into the wound. 

 Usually, on domestic animals, cleanliness and the 

 free use of lime where the larvae breed is sufficient to 

 avoid trouble. But in some sandy regions fowls suffer 

 severely from the species that attacks them. The hen 

 flea is an ally of the "jigger" and while it does not bore 

 into the tissue of the bird, the female does fasten itself 

 firmly into the skin and remains attached until dis- 

 turbed by some outside force. On young chicks they 

 often fasten to the head and neck in such numbers as 

 to kill their host. A free use of carbolated vaseline is 

 indicated in cases of that kind. This material not only 

 kills the fleas but acts as a disinfectant and promotes 

 the healing of the sores. 



