LOUPING-ILL AND BRAXY. 301 



Notes on Ixodes (Ticks), ly Thomas D. Gibson Carmichael, 



younger, of Castle- craiy. 



I have endeavoured to collect specimens of Ixodes from as 

 many localities as possible, both in England and Scotland, dur- 

 ing this year. The first specimens whicli I obtained were found 

 among the roots of grasses in Peeblesshire, about the middle of 

 March, and I have had specimens from time to time up to the 

 first week in November. I have had difficulty in obtaining 

 them from the sheep, as though many shepherds have promised 

 to get them for me, they have almost always sent me the com- 

 mon insect parasite of the sheep. And though I have myself 

 examined a considerable number of sheep, I have very seldom 

 found anything but the insect. There is no difficulty in dis- 

 tinguishing the two, as while the insect has only 6 legs, the true 

 tick has always 8. I have found Ixodes in considerable numbers 

 on the bodies of rabbits and hares, and in one case on a roe 

 deer ; as that one case was the only roe I have examined, I 

 have no doubt but that Ixodes regularly infests that animal. 

 All species seem to pass the winter months of the year in a 

 semi-torpid state amongst the roots of grasses ; except in such 

 situations, I have found none after the beginning of October, in 

 the south of Scotland at least, They seem to be capable of 

 living for a considerable time without nourishment. I received 

 eleven specimens of what seems to be Ixodes trahcatus (Au- 

 donin); from Perthsliire, in the first week of June. I have since 

 kept them in a tin box containing a piece of sponge continually 

 damped. Eight of these specimens are still alive (January 14, 

 1 884). They lie at the bottom of the box among some broken 

 pieces of grass, seem not to change their position, but move 

 their legs about if touched, and if placed on their backs regain 

 their natural position very quickly. They soon die, however, if 

 the atmosphere in which they live is not kept damp. Excess of 

 moisture seems to have but little effect on them. I have kept 

 specimens floating in water from two to thirteen days, which when 

 taken out of the water showed no signs of weakness. Like some 

 centipedes, and many other arthropod animals, they can be 

 frozen quite hard without losing their vital powers. I have 

 found the genus widely distributed; and tliough sometimes I 

 have searched a district witliout finding a specimen, I think this 

 is to be attributed not to the absence, but to the insufiiciency of 

 my search. The males are not so easily found as the females. 

 I have never seen a male which had been obtained from an 

 animal, nor have I seen any female so obtained which was not 

 adult. I have not been able, as yet, to make any ex]>eriments 

 as to whether these creatures are really hurtful to the animal to 

 which they are attached, but should louping-ill prove common 



