51 
ARE YOU FEEDING LICE? 
—-— 
“If your sheep are not doing justice to their feed, ' 
suspect the presence of Lice. 
Do not trust the naked eye—use a magnifying 
glass. ; 
The Sheep Louse (Trichodectes sphaerocephalus) 
is light grey or almost white in colour, with iron red 
head, and bands on the body of the same colour. 
When gorged it is pink, and sometimes a yellow tint. 
It is usually found close to the skin, which it bites 
through, causing intolerable irritation. It never 
leaves its host except to transfer itself to another 
animal. Its fecundity is so great that one lousy 
sheep can infest a whole flock with alarming 
- rapidity. 
Lice cause sheep the greatest agony, reducing them 
to poverty in the midst of plenty. The sheep bite, 
rub and tear their fleece, reducing it almost to ruin. 
It is impossible to get a satisfactory lambing from 
lice-infested ewes. 
Owners who do not dip are often unaware of the 
presence of lice until so late in the season as to 
make it difficult to apply the remedy. 
