BIRD LOUSE MITES. 327 



Section III. — Louse-Mites infesting Birds. 



Genus Dermaleichus {Koch). (Analgcs, Nitzsch). 



There is no doubt as to the place of this section, although 

 the striation or wrinkling of the skin is so fine that it requires 

 a good microscope to see it. We are, however, somewhat in 

 doubt whether its right name should be Dermaleichus or Analges. 

 General consent has approved the name Dennaleichus, which 

 was proposed for it by Koch, as a genus of Sarcoptidse in 

 1S39; but we see from a note by Claparede, in his " Studien 

 an Acariden," that while he adopts the name Dermaleichus, 

 he considers that the priority belongs to Analges, a name given 

 to the genus by Nitzsch. We cannot lay our hands on Nitzsch's 

 notice, but the name is again brought forward by Giebel in 

 1 87 1, in a paper in the ''Zeitsch. Gesam. Naturw., iv.," where 

 he describes and notices seventeen species parasitic on various 

 birds. His application of the name Analges is confined to 

 Bird-mites that feed on feathers ; but, as we believe they all 

 do so, it follows that Analges and Dermaleichus, as restricted 

 to birds, are synonymous terms for the same thing. In the 

 previous year (1870), Buckholz had described and figured a 

 still larger number under the name Dermaleichus ("Verh. L. 

 C. Ges., XXXV., 1870"). The number of species is very great, 

 almost every bird having a distinct species allotted to it, and 

 some two or three ; almost every collection has a number of un- 

 described species ; and no general monograph of them has yet 

 been attempted. We were in hopes that this would have been 

 done by Professor Robin, the most competent authority ; for in 

 1868, he gave an account of his observations on mites infesting 

 jirds, a preliminary resume of which appeared in the " Comples 

 Rendus," Ixvi., but we have waited with impatience for its further 

 publication, which has not yet taken place. He proposes four 

 new genera — Pterolichus, Pteronyssus (type Dermaleichus 



