rAcicAr.D] KELATIOXS OF INSECTS TO MAX. 91 



horriblo persecutions of these blood-tliirsty creatures, I took 

 refuge one night in the cart, and was congratulating myself 

 on having at last secured a place free from their attacks. 

 But I was mistaken ; I had not been long asleep before I 

 was awakened by a disagreeable irritation over my whole 

 body, which shortly became intolerable : and notwithstand- 

 ing the night air was very sharp and the dew heavy, I cast 

 off all my clothes and rolled on the icy-cold sand, till the 

 blood flowed freely from every pore. Strange as it may 

 appear, I found this expedient serviceable. 



"On another occasion, a bush-tick, but of a still more poi- 

 sonous species, attached itself to one of my feet; and, 

 though a stinging sensation was produced, I never thought 

 of examining the part, till one day, when enjoying the unu- 

 sual luxury of a cold bath, I accidentally discovered the in- 

 truder deeply buried in the flesh, and it was only with very 

 great pain that I succeeded in extracting it, or rather its body, 

 for the head remained in the wound. The poisonous eff"ect of 

 its bite was so acrimonious as to cause partial lameness for 

 the three following months. The bush-tick docs not confine 

 its attacks to men only, for it attaches itself with even 

 greater pertinacity to the inferior animals. Many a poor 

 dog have I seen killed by its relentless persecutions ; and 

 even the sturdy ox has been known to succumb under the 

 poisonous influence of these insects." Sometimes also while 

 one bivouacs on the ground, these ticks will enter the ear 

 and become exceedingly troublesome. These and other 

 insect intruders can be made to leave their retreats by 

 pouring a drop of oil into the ear. 



Fig. G7 gives an excellent idea of the common cattle 

 tick of the south when gorged with blood. The lower figure 

 represents the tick when younger and after fasting. (The 

 upper figure is of the natural size, the lower several times en- 

 larged.) Fig. G8, adult, and six-lcggcd young. Fig. GD 

 shows the mouth parts much enlarged, with the spiny tongue. 



27 



