220 A TICK-RESISTANT CONDITION IN CATTLK. 



australis and B. annulafus was pointed out by Fuller (1899)) 

 in his original account, and by Crawley (in Cowley and 

 Pound, 1913). Neumann, Patton and Cragg, and others 

 refer to our cattle tick as Margaropus annulaius var. 

 australis. 



Its introduction from the East Indies and its spread 

 from the Northern Territory into this State have been 

 traced by Pound (1895, 1897), Dodd (1908), Gilruth (1912), 

 Lewis (1913) , 8tew^art and others ( 1906, 1917) . The onward 

 progress of the tick eastward and then southward can be- 

 followed by referring to the reports of the Inter-Colonial 

 Stock Conference (R.I.S.C, 1896) and of the various Royal 

 Commissions on the tick pest (R.S.C., 1899). 



As earlj- as 1899, Tidswell (p. 13) expressed his opinion, 

 that ticks would eventually infect New South Wales in 

 spite of all the precautions. The extension into that State 

 has been slow owing, at least in part, to vigorous quarantine 

 regulations and to vigilant border iusjiection (Stewart,. 

 Symons and Cowlej^'s reports in Jamieson, 1912). 



.Effects Due to Ticks. 

 The losses caused directly and indirectly by the cattle 

 tick in this continent have been enormous and still are 

 very heavy. In the bulletin on • The Cattle Tick in 

 Australia " (Stewart and others, 1917) an attempt has been 

 made to give the Australian public some idea of the 

 detrimental effects of the presence of the parasite. The 

 losses are there divided into those caused by tick fever and, 

 those due to tick infestation ; both sets of losses being sub- 

 divided into those caused by (a) mortalit}^ (b) the loss of 

 condition involving meat supply-, (c) diminution of milk 

 5neld* and consequent influence on calf-raising, pig-rear- 

 ing, bacon industry, butter and cheese-making, etc. In 

 addition to -these, mention is made of the great deterior- 

 ation in the value of hides as a result of tick infestation. 



*" The cattle tick has a decidedly injurious effect upon supposedly 

 immune dairy cattle, the extent being largely dependent on the degree 

 of infestation. The effect is more pronounced on milk production than 

 upon the body weights when a sufficient supply of food is given." 

 Woodward and Turner. The effect of the cattle tick upon the milk 

 production of dairy cows. U.S.D.A., B.A.I., Bull. 147, 1915, p. IG. 



