40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



preys upon insects. The grayish, sprawly legged young are unusu- 

 ally interesting on account of their being covered with particles of 

 lint. This gives them a nondescript appearance and undoubtedly is 

 of service in enabling them to creep up unobserved upon their prey. 



Fig. 14 Masked bedbug 

 hunter from above, about twice 

 natural size. (After Howard, 

 U. S. Dep't Agr. Div. Ent. 

 Bui. 22. n. s. 1900) 



Body Louse 



Pediculus corporis De Geer 



The body louse is similar to the head louse. It has different 

 habits and is considered a distinct species. It is considerably larger 

 than the head louse, has longer antennae, and is of a dirty white 

 color. This parasite usually conceals itself in the folds of the 

 clothing, deposits eggs along the seams and wrinkles, and passes to 

 the skin only for the purpose of feeding, which latter is said to 

 occur twice a day. This pest is by far the most troublesome 

 parasite of camp life, and is the familiar " grayback " of Civil War 

 days. 



Habits and endurance. A female may deposit nearly 300 eggs,- 

 which latter hatch in 3 to 4 days, maturity being reached in 

 15 to 18 days. Legroux ^ gives 8 to 10 days as the duration of 

 the tgg period, while Peacock ^ places it at 10 to 12 days, and states 

 that eggs may remain viable away from the body for a period of 

 40 days. He adds that the areas favored for oviposition are, in the 



^Parasit. 9:296. 1917. 



3 Bui. Soc. Path. Paris, 8:470-73. 1915. 



* Brit. Med. Jour., no, 2891, p. 746. 1916. 



