606 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 774 



further examination these organisms were 

 found in the air sacs, being especially numer- 

 ous in the interclavicular. Upon examining 

 the abdominal cavity it was found that, while 

 the proventriculus, gizard, spleen, pancreas, 

 ovaries, ceea, duodenum and small intestines 

 were normal, the gall bladder was perforated 

 at several points, so that the fluid had spread 

 into the abdominal cavity. On the surface of 

 the gall bladder, and on the surface of the 

 liver, spleen, kidneys and intestines, as well 

 as on the mesenteries and peritoneum, great 

 numbers of Gytodiies were found. It seems 

 very probable that death was caused by these 

 mites, which had, in this instance, perforated 

 both the pericardium and the wall of the gall 

 bladder. 



The second case of infection with Cytodites 

 was that of a fowl coming from a private 

 poultry yard near the experiment station. 

 This bird also had been sick for several days, 

 and finally died on January 1. The condi- 

 tions found upon post mortem examination 

 were similar to those described above except 

 for the fact that the gall bladder and the 

 pericardium were not perforated, and the 

 number of Gytodiies clustered on the internal 

 organs was much greater than in the case of 

 " the pheasant. 



II. Hcemaphysalis chordeilis. 



Although members of the genus Hcemaphy- 

 salis have not been uncommon in the south- 

 ern states, their occurrence in the northern 

 states is far less common. While Hcemaphy- 

 salis chordeilis has been reported by Banks'* 

 as having been found on a nighthawk, caught 

 at Milton, Mass., and from a turkey at Tafts- 

 ville, Vt., there is no case on record in which 

 this parasite has in a single locality increased 

 in numbers so as to be a menace to the rais- 

 ing of domestic poultry. The purpose of the 

 present note is to place on record a case of 

 this sort occurring in June, 1909, at Nor- 

 wich, Vt. 



At this time the attention of the Rhode Is- 

 land Agricultural Experiment Station was 



" Nathan Banks, " A Revision of the Ixodidse 

 or Ticks of the United States," Bulletin No. 15, 

 Bur. Entomol., U. S. Dept. Agriculture, 1908. 



called to the case of Mr. A., of Norwich, 

 whose turkeys were dying as the results of the 

 parasitic attacks of a large tick. The writer 

 secured specimens which were identified by 

 Dr. Banks, of the Bureau of Entomology, and 

 by Professor Barlow, of the Rhode Island 

 State College, as Hwmaphysalis chordeilis. 

 Further data regarding the outbreak are given 

 below : 



The ticks were first observed by Mr. A. in 

 the later part of May, when his young tur- 

 keys were about one week old. Then the para- 

 sites were found especially in the region of 

 the neck, where they seemed to do most of 

 their biting and sucking. Most of the birds 

 that were infested carried from seventy to 

 eighty full-grown ticks, as well as many more 

 immature forms. In order to rid his birds of 

 the ticks, Mr. A. tried insect powders without 

 avail. He then tried lard and kerosene oil, 

 but found that it did no good ; indeed, " when 

 the ticks were put into it they lived for seven 

 days." Finally he got rid of them by picking 

 them off the young birds, but not until forty 

 of a flock of forty-six young turkeys had died. 



The source of this infection is not known. 

 It appears probable, however, that it entered 

 Mr. A.'s flock with turkeys which he bought 

 early in the spring. Mr. A. had no fowls, so 

 they could not have been the source of the 

 trouble. The above hypothesis gains evidence 

 from the fact that Mr. A. sold some of his 

 recently purchased turkeys to a neighbor, in 

 whose flock the ticks also subsequently ap- 

 peared. 



One interesting consideration in connection 

 with the present case is that Dr. Banks re- 

 ported Hcemaphysalis from Taftsville, Vt., 

 only a few years ago. Mr. A. states that he 

 never received any birds from Taftsville, but 

 it is apparent that the interchange of poultry 

 stock in Vermont gives ample opportunity for 

 the dissemination of this destructive parasite. 



In order to prevent further spread it would 

 seem important that the center of infection 

 be located and proper measures taken to stamp 

 out the trouble before the parasite enters 

 other regions of the state of Vermont, or is 

 disseminated into adjoining states. 



Philip B. Hadley 



