206 



SCHOOL ENTOMOLOGY 



tures kept free from sheep and exposed to sunlight do not 

 remain infectious for more than thirty to sixty days. 



125. Poultry Lice. Several species of biting-lice are 

 common upon poultry, but the most common is the Hen- 

 louse * (25). It is about one-twentieth of an inch long, pale 

 dull yellow with darker marks on each side of the body, 

 though often reddish or pinkish in color after feeding. The 

 small eggs or "nits" are attached 

 to the feathers near the quill and 

 may hatch in about eight days, or 

 under unfavorable conditions, may 

 lie dormant for several months. The 

 young lice are much the same as 

 when full grown. All of these biting 

 lice bite off tho scales of the skin 

 and the edges of the feathers, but 

 do not suck the blood. The claws 

 of their feet are sometimes very 

 sharp, however, and by continual 

 scratching may draw blood which 

 is readily eaten by the lice and 

 accounts for their occasional reddish 

 color. They are quite hardy and may 

 live a long time without food. They 

 spread rapidly from one hen to 

 another on the roosts, from the nests, and from a hen to her 

 chicks, a setting hen in a foul nest furnishing them ideal food. 

 Little chicks are most susceptible and may die from their 

 attacks. The species on pigeons and geese are different, 

 as the species of bird lice usually have but one host. 



To kill the lice on young chicks rub a pinch of lard under 

 the wings and a little on top of the head. A dust made of 

 * Menopon pallidum Xitzsch. Order MallopJiaga, see page 37. 



FIG. 147. The common 

 hen - louse (Menopon 

 pallidum). Greatly 

 enlarged. (U. S. Dept. 



Agr.) 



