38 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 1 



farming is becoming well nigh impossible in consequence of this deep 

 penetration by Amblyomma Jiebraeum. Their attachment is followed 

 by siippiiration and sloughing of the teats ; dairy herds in that country 

 are often found in which one at least of the teats of each cow of nearly 

 the entire herd is missing or injured so as to be useless. 



With many species it is the habit shortly after hatching or molting- 

 to crawl upon nearby herbage, as grass, weeds and shrubs, or tem- 

 porary structures, as fences and posts, and there await the approach 

 of the host. When closely observed, the front pair of legs will be seen 

 waving in the air, ready to attach to the host as it comes in contact, 

 while with the other legs it holds to its support. In other species, as 

 is the case with Amblyomma Jiebraeum, recorded by Lounsbury, the 

 ticks are not satisfied with waiting, but start in search whenever a 

 host comes near. In some species the waiting seems to be upon the- 

 ground. 



Host Relationship. — Most species of ticks have certain hosts or 

 group of hosts upon which they are largely dependent for existence. 

 From this fact have arisen many of our common tick names, as the- 

 cattle tick, the dog tick, the fowl tick, the rabbit tick and many others. 

 Many of these, however, more or less frequently attach to other hosts. 

 The former may be termed the usual host or hosts and the latter the 

 accidental or temporary host or hosts. There seems to be a rather 

 close analogy between ticks and fleas as regards hosts. In his revision 

 of the Siphonaptera, p. 268, Baker mentions rabbit fleas as remaining 

 on a human being for some little time, biting frequently while there, 

 still not frequenting that host nor its clothing or bed. He considers 

 it very probable that many of the records of fleas refer merely to the 

 temporary host, since the eases of temporary hosts are quite common. 

 To illustrate how fleas would find these temporary hosts he mentions; 

 the possibility of the rabbit running into a badger hole, or the mouse 

 into a mole burrow ; that an owl 's eating a mouse or a cat 's devouring 

 a rat would be favorable conditions for this temporary transference. 

 Similar instances will account for many of our accidental hosts of 

 ticks. Experiments conducted during the past summer by the writer 

 have shown that when confined in a bag in close proximity to the 

 scrotum of a bovine, nearly all of the Ixodids will attach. As a 

 result of these accidental or temporary attachments for some species 

 we have large host lists, including hosts upon which the ticks could 

 only occasionally or never reach maturity. Lounsbury has found a 

 peculiar habit in Hyalomma aegyptium; as a larva it will not feed on' 

 any mammalia, but attaches to fowls upon which the first molt is; 

 passed. Following the second molt, which takes place off the host,. 



