THE AUTHOR 



Ellis A. Hicks is associate professor of zoology and entomology at Iowa 

 State College, where he joined the staff in 194/. 



His teaching experience has been mostly in the fields of general 

 zoology and comparative and mammalian anatomy. Longstanding in- 

 terests in entomology and ornithology are reflected by his special studies 

 of birds' nests as habitats for various arthropods. 



For several years he has been collecting and studying mites take?: from 

 various habitats, especially those mites occurring on insects in parasitic 

 and non-parasitic relationships. His specific research interest is the taxo- 

 nomy and biology of diplogyniids, a family of mites occurring on beetles. 



Dr. Hicks received the bachelor's, master's and doctor of philosophy 

 degrees at Iowa State College. Interspersed with graduate study were 

 three years of extension service and more than four years of military duty. 



