l52 Journal of the Department of AGRicuLTURtl. 



require first a i)eriocl of attacliiuent lic'fore tliey disciiarg'e the infec- 

 tion. 



The Hosts of the Ticks. 



From our point O'f view it is very important to know wliicli 

 animal, in addition to those which we have considered to be subject 

 to the diseases, may act as hosts for the ticks, and the following- notes 

 liave accoTding'ly been recorded: — 



The Blue Tick has been found on equines, cattle, sheep, goats, 

 dogs, and antelopes. 



The Red 'Tick has been found to occur on equines, cattle, sheep, 

 and g'oats ; the reedbuck, other antelopes, and the Cape hare. 



TJie Brown Tick has been foiund on cattle, equines, sheep, goats, 

 dog's, various antelopes, the Cape hare, and the lion. 



TJie European Brown Tick has been found mainly on dogs, but 

 also on cattle, sheep, cats, hares, etc. 



The Black-pitfed Tick has been found on cattle, horses, sheep, 

 goats, dogs, the wild dog, the jackal, bushpig, and the hedgehog. 



The Bont Tick has been found on cattle, horses, sheep, goats, 

 dogs, the wild dog, antelopes, and the ostrich. 



The Dog Tick is found on dogs, cats, and wild canines. 



The Spivose Ear-tick is found on cattle, calves, sheep, goats; als(i 

 horses, donkeys, dogs, cats, ostriches, and occasionally on man. 



The Striped-leg Tick -is found on all domesticated animals ; also 

 (in antelopes, hares, pigs, and birds. The nymphal stage is 

 frequently found on birds. 



The Prevaleace of Ticks in the Various Regions of the Cot xtry 

 AND in the Different Seasons. 

 Generally speaking, ticks are more frequent in summer than 

 winter. This stands to reason, since a certain moisture and warm 

 temperature are required for the i)rocess of hatching and moulting. 

 The spinose ear-tick is an exception to this rule as it prefers dry 

 countries. The striped-leg tick is frequently found in the dry parts 

 of South Africa. The various species are, however, not equally dis- 

 tributed throughout the country. We may state that the higher the 

 altitude and the barer the veld the less frequent are the ticks, hence 

 tJie bushveld is practically the home of the tick, and the name " bos- 

 luis." as given by the Dutch farmer, iiidicates this. The red tick 

 may be considered as the most cosmopolitan tick of Soutli Africa, 

 and is found at all altitudes and in all climates. Next to.it is the 

 blue tick, which is more frequently met with in the low and middle 

 veld, but also goes to the high veld. It is absent in the driest parts 

 of South Africa. The group of the brown ticks, especially the 

 brown tick proper, is not frequent on the plateau of the high veld, 

 but it may be found there in protected valleys where the vegetation 

 is higher. Tlie same applies to the black-pitted tick. The European 

 brown tick is found in many parts of South Africa. Its main abode 

 is the dog kennel. The sheep paralysis tick is found in the eastern 

 part of the Cape and the south of the Orange Free State. 



The Number of Ticks in Proportion to the Number of Cattle. 

 Under the most favourable conditions the number of ticks 

 increase in direct proportion to the number of hosts found on a farm. 

 Thus the more stock and wild animals there are the more the ticks 



