found no ticks in cattle er;ret stonachs and their actions do not 

 indicate that they conrranly feed on these parasites (Bequaert 

 1930B, Plowes 1950). In Southern Rhodesia, "Ecret" (1938) 

 reported, these birds may pick grasshoppers off grazing cattle 

 but do not search for ticks on then. Colleagues and I have 

 found no ticks in stomachs of many cattle egrets examined in 

 Africa and elsewhere and Kirkpatrick (19^-5) found none in 

 stomachs of m.any Egy^ptian birds of this type. 



REllARKS 



Special attention is called to the taxonomic aJid biological 

 status of heavily punctate specimens of A. variegatum , discussed 

 Tinder A. pomposira (page 2A5). 



Remarks by Theiler (1951 correspondence) are of value in 

 tmderstaoiding distributional factors of this species and in il- 

 lustrating the care that must be taken in evaluating older lit- 

 erature. She vrrites: " statements made (Theiler 1943B), 



to the effect that this species is found in the Union of South 

 Africa, were based on records in the literature, i.e. before we 



had stiodied the South African tick survey material Our 



abundant material did not produce one specimen from anywhere in 

 the Union or in South_West Africa. Bedford's statements are 

 based on incorrectly identified n^Tnphal material. Robinson's 

 record in the Monograph, I take to be a record of an introduc- 

 tion into the country, which certainly has not been able to 

 maintain itself. Nor does A. variegatum seem to be as widely 

 spread in Southern ^.hodesia~as one gatnered from some of the 

 earlier workers. On the contrary, A. hebraeiim seems to be more 

 prevalent than was first thought. TThen reading reports of ear- 

 lier v;orkers (1896-1906) , one must bear in mind that they are 

 still reporting on a period during which cattle had been, or 

 were being, introduced from East Africa and from Madagascar, 

 bringing A. variegatum and Boophilus fall sac with them. PossL- 

 bly some of these^ticks come into areas in which they could 

 maintain themselves for a year or tv;o, or possibly even longer." 



Brumpt (19?-',193A) reported on g^mandromorphic specimens of 

 A. variegatum. . Malformed specimens have been noted by Santos Dias 

 T19'C9E,1955A;, and Tendeiro (195IF). Certain aspects of the chitin- 



_ 276 _ 



