32 XOTKS ON THE CATTLE TICK. 



about two years ;ii,'o. I was particularly anxious to obtain a 

 photoj,'raph, as nearly as possible the natural size, of several 

 colonies of larval ticks ou the tops of the blady grass, which 

 necessitated placing the camera in close proximity to the object. 

 Everything being ready, I made a final trial of the working of 

 the pneumatic shutter for time exposure, and on my releasing 

 the rubber ball, attached to the shutter by means of a long piece 

 of tubing, it commenced to swing round in an elliptoid move- 

 ment, and accidently touched the edge of one of the colonies of 

 young ticks ; instantly every tick released its hold from the blade 

 of grass and became attached to the rubber ball, which I at once 

 steadied in order to watch what would take place. The young 

 ticks in the colony commenced to separate and run all over the 

 ball, and eventually up the tubing to the lense and then on to the 

 camera, evidently thinking that they would come across a bullock ; 

 but their anticapations were not to be realised, for instead of 

 finding a dainty piece of living hide they wandered about in a 

 sort of discontented manner over the morocco leather bellows. 



In some districts I have seen the larval ticks in considerable 

 numbers attached to the star grass and " roley poley," which is 

 famihar to all bushmen when it accmiiulates in huge masses and 

 is rolled over the open plains for miles and miles with the force of 

 the wind. I have also seen young ticks picked up by leaves and 

 feathers, and blown in all directions by the wind. It must be- 

 apparent to any one that is familiar with the activity of ticks in 

 grossly infested districts how readily they may be transferred 

 from one place to another in their larval stage by marsupials, 

 dingoes, and other native animals, also by swagsmen and black- 

 fellows "on the wallaby," 



These facts serve to clearly illustrate how great and difficult 

 is the task that we are asked to perform in devising means for 

 the prevention of the spread of the tick pest. 



I know of several instances where some new centres of 

 infection have been discovered in which every possible means 

 that time, money, and science could suggest has been tried to 

 eradicate the pest ; but as with the experience under similar 

 conditions in other countries, principally the United States, the 

 whole thing has unfortunately proved unsuccessful. 



