NOTES ON THE CATTLE TICK. 



ITS DEVELOPMENT, LIFE HISTORY, HABITS, AND 

 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



By C. J. POUND, F.R.M.S. 



[licad he/ore the Boijitl Sucii'tij of (Juccnshind, 22nd October, JL898.\ 



• Since August, 1894, when I was first commissioned by the 

 Government to visit the Gulf district of this colony in order to 

 investigate and report upon a malignant disease, " redwater " 

 (noAv known as tick fever) in cattle, I have had many oppor- 

 tunities under various conditions of circumstances of studying the 

 habits and life history of the cattle tick, resulting in not a few 

 interesting discoveries, some of which, I am pleased to say, have 

 -proved to be of more than passing value to numbers of stock- 

 owners. In this paper I do not propose to discuss the nature of 

 the disease which the tick primarily produces, or any details of 

 the methods now in operation for its prevention, but simply 

 confine my remarks to the subject of cattle ticks. 



With regard to the life history, development, and habits of 

 this particular species, I believe that I am correct in stating that 

 we know more about it than we do of not only any other tick 

 but any insect in the Southern Hemisphere, and yet, although 

 we claim to know so much, we are every day making some new 

 discoveries — in fact, the whole subject appears to be practically 

 inexhaustible. 



