198 JOURNAL OP THE TRINIDAD 



This habit of gorging with blood is confined to the female 

 ticks, being probably required for the maturing of the enormous 

 number of eggs, sometimes exceeding 20,000, which each one will 

 lay. The male, on the other hand, is less rigidly fixed to one 

 spot ; he roams about in search of the female, and, having found 

 her, does not increase greatly in size. But it is also necessary 

 for him to have sustenance, especially on account of his greater 

 activity. Further, it has been justly pointed out that the 

 fertilisation of such an enormous number of eggs is of itself a 

 very exhausting process ; and it is highly probable that the 

 neglected male ticks are also a serious nuisance to the animals 

 on which they are found. 



With us, animals are occasionally covered with ticks ; but 

 it is almost certain that our cattle do not get covered to such an 

 extent as they do in other countries. I select a few cases 

 illustrating the degree to which these parasites may multiply. 



The following account is given of some cattle which were 

 driven along a certain route in Queensland, leaving their marks of 

 ticks as they went. " A mob of store cattle travelling from 

 Westmoreland station bound for Townsville were observed to 

 be infested with ticks, and a considerable number of deaths 



occurred in the mob from this cause Since the passage 



of these cattle, ticks of the same description have attacked 

 the cattle on several runs along the line of route of the infested 

 cattle, and a considerable mortality has been the result. On one 

 or two stations the death-rate from that cause has been heavy. 

 On one station it is reported that while the stockmen were 

 branding the calves they picked off the ticks in handfuls, and 

 the ticks had to be actually burnt through before the branding 

 iron reached the skin. " 



Some cattle examined in Texas were found to be so covered 

 with the greao cattle tick that it was impossible to place a 

 silver dollar upon the skin free from them. The same observer 

 states that he received 100 full grown ticks from each ear of one 

 pony, and that there were besides many immature ones in the 

 same place. 



But it is needless to multiply cases of this kind. Enough 

 has been said to show into what a state animals left for a time in 

 the bush may get ; and taking into consideration the increase of 

 weight mentioned above, it is very easy to understand how cattle, 

 and especially calves, may be literally sucked dry. 



There are probably no countries, where cattle and sheep are 

 kept, which do not also possess their species of ticks ; while, once 

 established, their multiplication does not seem to be dependent 

 upon the continued presence of their hosts. 



In a previous article some account was given of the immense 

 numbers of ticks found by Hooker in the pathless frontier region 



