56 MITE PARASITES. 



the air-sacs, reaching the finest divisions of the 

 bronchi and even the cavities in the pneumatic 

 bones ; more rarely they are found in the lung-tissue. 

 This mite, which is of considerable size, readily seen 

 with the naked eye, is particularly found in Fowls 

 and Pheasants. 



This Acarus is white and globular in form, the legs 

 being composed of five pieces. The male is '-45 mm. 

 long. The female '56 mm. long, and may produce 

 either ova or larvae. 



Their Effect upon the Fowl. 



The mites, as a rule, have little effect upon their 

 host ; it is only when they appear in large numbers 

 that they produce any malady. Sometimes they crowd 

 in the bronchi and cause obstruction, and eventually 

 death by asphyxia. Zundel and other observers 

 accuse them of causing enteritis and peritonitis. 



A single instance of this mite affecting the liver 

 has come to my notice. The fowl died, and in the 

 liver were found numerous yellow, round nodules 

 which contained numbers of this Cytodites. Holzen- 

 dorff has also observed them in the kidney, liver, and 

 lungs, in similar yellow nodules. 



In such "an attack all we can do, should it take an 

 epizootic form, is to disinfect the houses and destroy 

 by burning all parts of the diseased birds. Such 

 attacks, however, are very few and far between. 



Symplectoptes Mites. 

 Analogous to the above is a more elon gated Acarus 

 known as Symplectoptes cysticola, about *22 mm. long 



