175 



fill the interior of the machine with a cloud of spray which thoroughly 

 soaks an animal which passes through it in a few seconds. Two men 

 are required to work the pump, the surplus dip being used again. 

 As each animal carries away on its skin less than | gal. of dip, the cost 

 per head is very small, about ^d. each time, or I8d. per head per 

 annum. Once the cattle have become accustomed to the machine, 

 spraying may be performed in a very short time. On one occasion 

 73 cattle were effectively and completely sprayed in 7 minutes. Two 

 or three cases only of slight scalding have occurred, due to unskilful 

 use of the spray fluid, the worst being that of a young bull, which was 

 inadvertently sprayed three times in five days. Up to the present no 

 animals except cattle have been sprayed, but there does not appear 

 to be any reason why the operation should not be extended to horses 

 and mules. The sprayed cattle have been completely freed from ticks 

 and their general health has much improved. 



Saunders (P. T.). Notes on some Parasites of Live Stoclc in the West 

 Indies. — West Indian Bull., Barbados, xiv, no. 2, 24th June 1914, 

 pp. 132-138. 



This paper is a report on parasites of live stock, collected in Antigua, 

 Montserrat, St. Kitts and St. Vincent in the summer of 1913. The 

 ticks include Argas persicus. Walk., from fowls, Antigua ; Amblyomma 

 variegatum, F., from cattle, Antigua ; Boophilus australis. Fuller, from 

 cattle, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Vincent ; Derma- 

 centor nifens, Neum., from horses, St. Kitts, Montserrat and St. 

 Vincent ; Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Latr., from dogs, Antigua, Mont- 

 serrat, St. Kitts and St. Vincent. 



The fleas include Ctenocephalus felis, Bouche, from dog, Antigua and 

 Montserrat, from cat, St. Kitts, and rats, St. Vincent ; Xenopsylla 

 cheopis, Roths., from rats, St. Vincent. 



The following flies are recorded : Sarcophaga otiosa, Will., and 

 S. plinthopyga, Wied., St. Vincent ; S. aurifinis. Walk., St. Kitts ; 

 Chrysomyia macellaria, F. (screw-worm fly), Antigua, St. Vincent ; 

 Musca domestica, L., St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Vincent. 



The common or " creole " cattle-tick was obtained from Antigua, 

 Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Vincent, and proved to be Boophilus 

 {Margaropus) australis, Fuller, and this is probably the common cattle- 

 tick in other islands of the West Indies. Another serious pest of 

 cattle only, in Antigua, is Amblyomma variegatum, F., known locally 

 as the " gold " tick, also as the " St. Kitts tick," from which island 

 it is supposed to have been originally introduced, though it appears, 

 in fact, to be quite unknown there. It is more probable that it was 

 brought to Antigua with Senegal cattle many years ago. It is also 

 known in Guadaloupe. This tick appears in small numbers about 

 July or in very dry seasons a httle earher, and is abundant in the 

 autumn. Dermacentor nit ens, Neum., attacks horses and donkeys 

 and is generally to be found in the external ear. The common dog 

 tick of the islands is Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Latr. Argas persicus 

 is a common pest of fowls and in some cases renders the rearing of 

 chickens almost impossible. These ticks are frequently so numerous 

 that the only effective method of destroying them is to burn the fowl 

 house. 



