1395.] Entomology. 383 
is mentioned as they proved useful in preserving the mites which had 
previous to their death made their way to the surface of the feathers. 
In the uncovered skin, moreover, parasites make an effort to crawl 
away or are lost in handling. It is not known on what part of the tis- 
sues of the bird the present species of parasite inhabits, but from the 
knowledge given to us by the writers mentioned further on, we may 
infer that either the connective tissue or the feather furnishes its nour- 
ishment, or, perhaps, as in the case with some other members of trom- 
bidians (Cheyletinae) they may feed upon the other forms of parasites 
which frequently live upon the same bird. All thisis speculative with 
relation to the new species under consideration as we have not had as 
yet an opportunity of personally examining living specimens. 
On the shining black back ground of feathers this mite appears as 
minute whitish specks distributed quite generally over the body of the 
two birds seen. They are easily removed with the point of a needle to 
which they can be made to adhere by mere contact, by reason of the 
long hairs which is such a characteristic feature of the example before 
us. By reason of this also I have given it the name villosa. Trans- 
ferred to the slide of the microscope they are seen to be shrivelled and 
of course lifeless. An immersion in pure glycerine caused the tissues 
to regain to a striking extent what would apparently be the natural 
rotund appearance of life. Some twelve specimens of both sexes 
gathered from the birds were studied, the most of these being matured 
individuals. Selecting one which was characteristic, I made the draw- 
ing of the female referred to in the beginning of this paper. While a 
number of species have been described, from time to time, the literature 
is not extensive and that which interests us most in the present connec- 
tion is foreign. In 1878 G. Haller’ found a remarkable vermicular 
shaped trombidian in the connective tissue of the ash-colored wood- 
pecker (Picus canus) and described it under the generic and specific 
appellation Picobia heerit. In the following year 1879, A. Heller of 
Kiel, found similar forms inside the feathers of poultry, pigeons, and 
peacocks. To all appearances these Acarina all belong to the same 
genus Picobia notwithstanding the latter observer described two new 
species under a newly created genus to which the name Syringophilus 
was given. We could not pass without mentioning this as we think 
the new form here described, for the first time, enters into the genus 
Picobia of Haller, while it resembles, as far as description goes, to some 
extent the species Picobia (Syringophilus) uncinata Heller.‘ 
3 Freyana and Picobia Zutschrift fur wissenschaftliche, Zoologie, XXX, 1878, 
8 
p. 81. 
* Die Schmarotzer, 1880, p. 186. 
