404 TilE iMANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



value of remedial measures, individual opinion is not in 

 agreement. Some authorities claim that the flies do not 

 travel far and that as a result individual effort will be 

 efficacious. Others claim that concerted action would 

 be necessary if the work is to be effective. No remedy 

 has yet been devised that will apply to animals that can- 

 not be handled. 



Lice on cattle. — Two classes of lice infest cattle, viz., 

 the suctorial and the biting lice. The former obtain their 

 food through suction, the latter by biting. Of the 

 former there are two kinds, known as the short-nosed 

 louse (Hccmatopinus enrystcrmis) and the long-nosed ox 

 louse (Hamatopimis vitiili). The former is the larger 

 of the two. The latter, which is more common, is about 

 one-eighth of an inch long, and in width it is about one- 

 third as much. In color both are of a bluish tint. The 

 eggs are deposited on the hair near the skin, being glued 

 to the former by an adhesive substance. The biting 

 louse (Trichodectes scalaris), very common on cattle, is 

 small and red in color. The suctorial lice attack chiefly 

 the neck and shoulders, but the biting lice are most 

 numerously found at the spine and on the hips and 

 rump, and to a less extent on the head and neck. Con- 

 tamination comes from contact with infested cattle or 

 the surroundings which they have frequented. Chicken 

 lice may annoy cattle to some extent, but it is believed 

 that they do not propagate on them. 



The indications of the presence of lice on cattle are 

 uneasiness, more particularl}' as manifested by their 

 rubbing against external obj.ects. This, however, may 

 result from other causes. Their presence may be deter- 

 mined by examining the parts where the rubbing is most 

 apparent, but the examination should be carefully made, 

 as they may not be readily seen amid the dust and scurf 

 that may be present. 



The injury resulting from the ])resence of cattle lice 

 is caused by the incessant itching which they produce. 



