10 



Note on a Species of Ixodes found upon a South African 



Lizard. 



By R. T. Lewis, F.R.M.S. 



Plate I. 



{Read January 15th, J892.) 



During the past year I liave on several occasions received 

 from a correspondent in Natal specimens of ticks, to which 

 special attention was drawn on account of the serious injury 

 inflicted by them upon domestic animals, especially horses and 

 cattle. On mentioning the subject to a friend, who had been 

 for some years resident on an ostrich farm in the colony, I was 

 assured that the family was so well represented there that 

 nothing seemed to escape them; that they varied in size from 

 scarcely visible specks to about fin. in length, and that birds, 

 beasts, reptiles, and human beings were alike the objects of 

 their unpleasant attentions. 



My friend went on to describe the nature of the bites inflicted, 

 the after consequences of which were always seriously aggra- 

 vated by too hasty attempts to forcibly remove the creatures ; 

 such being the tenacity of their hold that they usually suffered 

 the body to be dragged from the head rather than let go, and 

 the rostrum being thus left imbedded in the flesh gave rise to 

 inflammatory swellings known as Natal boils, which became 

 more or less troublesome according to the season and state of 

 health of the persons bitten. Most of the species sent appear 

 to be such as are only too well-known as cattle pests ; but last 

 month I received three samples of a kind which proved to be 

 more rare, for although there are several specimens in the col- 

 lection at the British Museum, they are at present unnamed, 

 and, being presumably undescribed, may therefore be made the 

 subject of a note of some possible interest to the members of 

 the Club. They were found upon a species of Iguana which 

 lives in the marshes, but is said to be unlike the American form 



