290 Transactions. — Zoology. 



evaporate ; third, there is no danger from fire — and this is an 

 item, for people will smoke and throw matches about, and 

 how impossible it is to keep everything covered up ; fourth, it 

 does not require expensive apparatus to contain it ; fifth, it 

 takes up very little room ; and, sixth, I believe the results are 

 very much better. 



Art. XXVII. — On some Tich-parasiies of the Kiivi. 



By W. M. Maskell. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 20th January, 1897.'] 



Plate XVII. 



I HAVE to bring under the notice of the Society two 

 animals of the "tick" family, discovered upon native birds 

 during the year. The first, on the North Island kiwi {Apteryx 

 mantelli), was given me by Sir W. Buller, and carae, as I 

 understand, from the forest-ranges at the back of Mount 

 Egmont. The other, on the South Island kiwi {Apteryx 

 australis), was given to me by Sir J. Hector, and came from 

 Dusky Sound. 



These two forms belong undoubtedly to the genus Ixodes, 

 Latreille, or true " ticks," as will be seen from the characters 

 given presently. In this genus there is great difficulty in 

 establishing specific characters, as almost all the organs are 

 extremely similar in all the forms, and the differentiation of 

 species, unless founded upon extremely minute points, has to 

 depend a good deal upon size, colour, or the animal-host, none 

 of which is, in my opinion, very reliable ; for the size of a tick 

 is often dependent upon the quantity of food it has taken, the 

 colour is frequently deceptive, and some ticks frequent several 

 kinds of animals. These pests are found in many lands, some 

 on human beings, such as the Garapata, of South America ; 

 others on dogs, or sheep, or cattle, such as the dreaded and 

 murderous cattle-tick, of Texas and Queensland. 



The family IxoclidcB has been divided by some naturalists 

 into various sections, such as Ixodes, Argas, Amhlyomvia, 

 Hyalomma, &c. The distinctions relied upon, how^ever, seem 

 to be not altogether satisfactory, with the exception, perliaps, 

 of Ixodes and Argas, the others being probably only sub-genera 

 or varieties of Ixodes. The separation of Argas is founded 

 upon two sufficient characters— first, the position of the 

 mouth-organs, which are not protruded in front, but hidden 

 beneath the body; and, secondly, the absence of a shield on 

 the back of the head, which is very noticeable in Ixodes. In- 

 deed, Mr. A. Murray puts the genus Argas into the Gamasids, 



