THE LIFE HISTORY AND BIONOMICS OF SOME 
NORTH AMERICAN TICKS. 
INTRODUCTION. 
During the course of investigations of the biology of the North 
American fever or cattle tick, conducted by the Bureau of Entomology, 
with headquarters at the field laboratory at Dallas, Tex., many other 
species of ticks were met with, some of which are of considerable 
economic importance. In view of their importance as ectoparasites 
and the part that several are known to play in the transmission of 
disease, and in view of the further fact that comparatively little was 
known of their life history and bionomics, it was decided that the 
investigations should be extended to include as many of the species 
as possible. 
During 1905 a few notes were made upon ticks other than the cattle 
tick (Margaropus annulatus), which was at that time being studied. 
These miscellaneous notes were consolidated with those of 1906 during 
the winter of 1906-7 and published in Bulletin 72 of this bureau, 
together with the results of studies of the cattle tick. In 1907 fur- 
ther attention was given to those species which could be obtained for 
study. During the summer of that year valuable information was 
received from Prof. C. P. Lounsbury, who visited the laboratory. 
In 1908 the study of various species was taken up more extensively. 
The work was confined principally, however, to those species occur- 
ring in Texas. In 1910 an investigation of the Rocky Mountain 
spotted-fever tick (Dermacentor venustus) was undertaken by the 
bureau in cooperation with the Montana Agricultural Experiment 
Station and the Bureau of Biological Survey. Incidental to the work 
on the spotted-fever tick studies were undertaken on the life his- 
tories and habits of a number of species of ticks occurring in the 
western United States, and several species not herein discussed are 
at the present time being studied. Our knowledge of the life his- 
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