Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/554

* LOUSE. 492 LOUTHERBOURG. Lat. hicre, Gk. Xi/eii-, lyein, to loose, destroy). A parasitic bug of the suborder Anoplura or Para- sita, which contains the single family Pediculi- diP, dwelling on man and other animals. Lice are grayish-white, more or less transparent, com- pressed, wingless insects, with fleshy blood-suck- ing beaks. It is still not certain just how the blood is sucked up. Schiiidte placed a louse on his hand and (]l).scrvcd it under a lens while feed- ing. He noted alternate contractions and expan- sions of parts of the alimentary tract, while the entire trai^t underwent peristaltic movements and vibrations from side to side. The number of known lice is not large — about si. genera and forty species are recorded. DilTerent kin<ls of mammals are infested with dilVerent kinds of lice, even those mammals that live in water. Seals have a genus, Echinophthirius. Several species of the genus Pedicinus infest monkeys. Ele- phants have a louse {lIainulomy~us probosci- deus) with a remarkably long probo.seis. The louse of the horse [llcemalopinus asini), that of the pig [llcvmiilopinus tiriuH) , and that of the cow (Uwmatoinniis euri/slcnnis) are the best known of those that dwell on domestic animals. Three species belong to nuin: one (I'cdiculus capitis) is found on the head; another (I'edi- ciiliis vestimDiti) on the body, breeding in soiled clothing; and a third {I'hihirius iiifniindlis) lives in the eyebrows, armpits, and the pubic region. Andrew Murray staled that the heads of different races of men are infested with different varieties of Prdiciilus cupitia, basing his eon- elusions upon the collections made by Darwin. Little is known concerning the development of lice. The eggs are fastened to the hair, and the young, although they molt several times, do not undergo metamorphosis. There is a disease called phthiriasis attributed to lice, but for aught that is really known the lice may be merely an aceompanimeiit of the neglected and unclean condition which, perliaps, is really the cause of the disease. Mercurial ointment is generally recommended for use against the species affecting human beings. Cleanliness is the best preventive of lice on man and beast. To destroy them on domestic animals washing with infusions of soap- suds, tobacco, and kerosene is reconunended. Various ointments composed of lard or tallow, in which sulphur or zinc is mixed, are .sometimes used. Wood ashes and Persian insect-powder sprinkled j)lentifully in the hair or wool are also said to be ellicacious. Such washings and applica- tions should be repeated several times at inter- vals, and barns which contain infested animals should be thoroughly whitewashed. The word is also used in combinations such as 'bird-louse,' 'plant-louse.' The plant-lice are Hemiptera, but belong to a different family, the Aphidida; (see .Apinn) ; while the bird-lice be- long to the !Mall(iphaga (f).v. ) — a distinct order of insects parasitic on birds. Consult Osbom, Insects Affcrliiifi Dnmcstic Animals (Department of .Agriculture. Washington, 1896). LOUSE-FLY. . y one of the curious de- graded parasitic flies of the family ITippobos- cida>. In the adult stage they live, like lice, parasitically iipon the bodies of birds and mam- mals. Some species are winged, others are wing- less, and others are winged for a time and then lose their wings. They form the curious group known as Pupipara, the eggs having hatched and the larva developed until the pupa stage is near ly reached within the body of the mother, They are extruded by the parent lly only when neaily ready to become pupa;. The probo.seis of th> adilt consists of two hard Uap.s which sjiriM^I apart, allowing the sucking-tube to be thrust mil fnim the head. The .so-called sheep-lick ( .l/i />. pliiiyus ovinus) is a member of this group. Tin- insect known in England as the forest-lly (Uip/i'i bosca equina) is a winged species which occiii- upon the horse. One of the commonest N(jiili -American species is Olfcrsia Amcriratia, fouiil upon the horned owl, certain hawks, and I In ruffed grouse or partridge. The members of tlii^ family have been called 'bird-ticks,' but tlii name is very misleading, since they are not c. i fined to birds, and they have no relation wbal ever to the true ticks. See Forest- Fly and Tick. LOUSEWORT. A popular name for a genus of plants. See Pedicll.ri.s. LOUSIAD, The. A mock heroic poem (ITH.'i) in five parts by .lohn Woleott (Peter Pindar), suggested by the presence of an insect on a plate of peas set before (ieorge III, The occurrence is said to have resulted in the com- pulsory shaving of the heads of the kitchen servants. LOUTH, louTH. A maritime county of the Province of Leinster, Ireland, bounded north by Armagh and the Lough of Carlingford, east by the Irish Sea, s(mtli by the Boyne and the county of Meatli, and west by Meath and Monaghan (Map: Ireland, E 3)'. Area, .316 square miles. Wheat, barley, oats, and green crops are extensively grown. Linen is largely manufactured. Capital, Drogheda, Population, in >^4l. 12S,.3;jO: in 1901, 6.1,740, LOUTH. A market-town and nuuiici|i;il borough in Lincolnshire, England, 'i.> miles eiisi northeast of Lincoln, on the Lud (Map: England, (i .3). The town has iron-foundries, a variety of manufactures, and an important trade in agri- cultural produce. By means of the Loughborough Canal, connecting the town with the Humber, eon siderable traffic in corn and coal is carried on. Among its interesting features are the beautiful ])arish church built in the thirteenth and ii- iiuilt in the fifteenth century, a grammar sehcinl founded in the reign of Edward VI., and the ruins of Louth Park .bbey. dating from the twelfth century. The town is provided with gas ami water, and owns markets, a cemetery, and a technical school. It received its charter from Edward VI. Population, in 1801, 10,040; in 1901, n.500. LOUTH. A Church of England divine. See LOWTII. PiOnl^RT. LOUTHERBOURGy l7To'tfir'l>rSTr', Philippe .lAt'Qi'ES i)E (1740-1S12). A French-English landscape, marine, and battle painter. He wn- born at Strassburg, October 31, 1740. II.' received his first instruction from his father, wlio was a miniature painter. In 175.5 he went to Paris, and became a pupil of Casanova, a batllf painter. He gained some repute as a popubir painter of battles, hunts, marine views, and laml- scapes, and was al.so successful in biblical sub- jects and portraits. In 1767 he was made mem- ber of the Academy of Painting in Paris and afterwards appointed Court painter to the King. He settled in England (1771), and in 1781 was