406 HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SPIDER GROUP 



The scorpions, the itch mites, and the redbugs are 

 members of the class Arachnida, to which the spiders 

 belong. In former chapters, we have already discussed 

 the effect upon human beings of the irritation caused by 

 these animals. There remain of the Arachnida those 

 gigantic mites, commonly known as ticks, and the spider- 

 like animals, the Solpugids. 



The ticks confine themselves, in this country, at least, 

 mainly to quadrupeds. Occasionally certain species 

 attack man and cause considerable irritation. The ticks 

 are simply gigantic mites with a very tough leathery skin. 

 The mouth parts consist of a beak or rostrum furnished 

 with hooks at the free extremity. The ticks are parasitic 

 during most of their life and are fastened to their hosts 

 entirely by the rostrum, which is driven into the flesh and 

 securely anchored there by means of the hooks at the end. 

 In this position the tick sucks the blood of its host. The 

 male remains small and is not often seen. The body of 

 the female becomes distended until she resembles a large 

 seed or bean. In some species, the body is brightly marked 

 with brown, white, yellow, or red. 



The life history of many species of ticks is now fairly 

 well known. The southern cattle tick (Fig. 139) may serve 

 as a representative example. When the female is full 

 grown she drops from her host to the ground and lays from 

 2000 to 3000 brownish eggs in a rather compact mass. 

 These ultimately hatch and the young ticks are known 

 as "seed-ticks." The seed-ticks are active and ascend 

 the nearest weed or bush, where they quietly wait until 

 some animal passes near enough for them to catch hold. 



