42 TEXAS NATURE OBSjeKVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 



cially regarding the parasites 

 found, as, from first appearance 

 it appeared to me that the mite 

 was not a species of the common 

 aeari, found occasionally in de- 

 caying material or detritus, or 

 fruit, vegetables, cheese, flour, 

 etc., but that it was a true sar- 

 coptes — not, however, the common 

 itch parasite of man. In this opin- 

 ion I was sustained by Dr. A. E. 

 Boeckling, an expert on parasitic 

 mites, and also by Prof. Allen J. 

 Smith, Pathologist of the Galves- 

 ton University. Both of these 

 gentlemen had taken a great in- 

 terest in the seemingly trivial 

 matter, which, of course, could on- 

 ly be settled by a close microscopic 

 examination and comparison with 

 other similar mites. Having se- 

 cured one especially fine specimen 

 among the cuticular scrapings, I 

 mounted it separately from the 

 other remnants and forwarded it 

 to Prof. Virchow, after having it 

 investigated by our Smithsonian 

 experts, etc., but never received a 

 reply from Berlin (perhaps it had 

 not reached its destination). 



This mite is of the size of the 

 common itch mite, hardly visible 

 to the naked eye, of yellowish- 

 brown color, supplied with eight 

 legs, jointed, and the pedal ex- 

 tremities are supplied with a suck- 

 ing disk — characteristic of the sar- 

 coptes or itch-parasite. The eight 

 legs are decidedly thoracic, not 

 marginal, and the specimen pre- 

 served was a male one — the sex 

 found being .Considered by ex- 

 perts as of rare occurance. In 

 comparing this mite with the com- 

 mon cheese mites and fruit acari, 

 our mite shows the legs, jaws, ab- 

 domen and bristles more fully dvJ- 

 veloped, the latter closer to the 

 base of the abdomen and larger 

 and thicker. 



As seen on the photo-reproduc- 

 tions, I succeeded in making sev 

 eral microphotos of the parasite, 

 in different stadia, and also of the 

 larvae. The latter is six legged; 



the body and legs were semitrans- 

 parent and dotted throughout. I 

 have not encountered any such 

 larva in microscopic mites before. 

 The Smithsonian experts also de- 

 clared it to be the larva -of the 

 parasite under question. 



Prof. Allen Smith in October, 

 1896, had given me a very inter- 

 esting report on sarcoptic mites 

 in general, and of our acarus in 

 particular, and I only include here 

 the following points : ' ' I ' have 

 been looking up all the data I can 

 get hold of in my endeavors to 

 identify the dermal parasite. 

 There seems to me to be no doubt 

 of the parasite being fen acaj-us. 

 The mode of articulation of its 

 legs, the fact of its having five 

 divisions to each limb, its choli- 

 form or pinchers-like jaws in ray 

 mind place it surely among the 

 sarooptides. (Here follows an ex- 

 haustive explanation of the five 

 tribes of {iie sarcoptes family, 

 having used as euide, Meguin: 

 ("Les Parasites artieules.") The 

 five tribes are: Sarcoptes detri- 

 coUes, S. plumicoles, S. cysticoles, 

 S. glicicoles and S. sporae.** The 

 specimen in hand cannot belong 

 to the first tribe. It differs in 

 being provided with a somewhat 

 rugous integument, in having un- 

 equal limbs, and, I believe, dis- 

 similar in having a distinct cleft 

 in the abdominal extremity. It is 

 not to be mixed up with the bird- 

 infesting sarcoptes (S. j)lumicoles) 

 the latter has all its legs well de- 

 veloped and never even tending to 

 be abortive (as in the last pair of 

 R's parasite) and never produce 

 painful or itching sensations (by 

 some poison in its bite.* * * 

 I would place E/.'s parasite, from 

 its shape, its somewhat striated 

 coat, its undeveloped hind pair of 

 legs, and its power to produce 

 itching, among the true itch-sar- 

 coptides. * * * I believe the R. 

 parasite to correspond with the 

 genus of chorioptes. As to species. 

 I am still uncertain, but believe it 



