CALF BOX 645 



the upper parts of the legs ; running tapes are fitted to keep the leg openings 

 secure so that the ticks cannot drop out. Such a bag is shown in Plate 

 LXXXI1, fig. 5 ; it will be noted that, it reaches 



nearly up to the spine, where it is secured with several Rl simus and R - capen- 

 ... -011 i , , sis: Use of abdominal 



tapes. In the front it fits closely to the root of the ba g 



neck and is kept in position by a tape. At the other 

 end sufficient opening is allowed for the passage of urine and dung, and 

 the tape holding it in position is passed over the tail. A small quantity of 

 clean straw is now placed in the bag in contact with the abdomen, and the 

 ticks are dropped on to it ; as soon as they have all become attached the 

 bag is removed. About twenty-four hours before they become replete 

 this can be judged by their appearance the bag is re-applied and the 

 ticks are collected as they drop off. 



This type of bag is not suitable for male animals. For which a 

 smaller bag is made so as to enclose only the scrotum ; the ticks are 



applied in the same way. In each case it is important 



, J , . . , , Scrotal or udder bag 



to place a collar on the neck of the animal ; the one 



shown in figure 2, Plate LXXXII, is the type used at the King Institute 

 for vaccinated calves ; it prevents them from interfering with the bag. 

 Placing ticks on a cow without a bag and keeping it in a stall is not 

 satisfactory, as in many instances the ticks are either crushed or are lost 

 when they drop off. When using the bag method it is advisable to keep 

 the animal in a box, and this precaution is specially necessary when exact 

 transmission experiments are being carried out, as stray ticks may find 

 their way on to the animal and vitiate the results. A box suitable for 

 this purpose is shown in fig. 2 ; it is made from ordinary deal-wood cases. 

 All cracks and crevices are carefully filled up with putty and the inside is 



painted white. The box should be just narrow enough 



. Calf box 



to prevent the animal from turning round. One end 



has a narrow opening which can be closed by a sliding door ; the calf is 

 so placed in the box that its tail end is next the opening it is shown as 

 the reverse in the figure so that the urine and faeces are passed, for 

 most part, just outside the box. The legs of the box are placed in large 

 tins of water. The authors keep these boxes in a special room which has 

 a cement floor, and a six inch drain running round it, in which a strong 

 solution of cyllin is kept. No stray ticks can possibly find their way 

 on to the animals. When the experiment is concluded the box is 

 washed with boiling water and after an interval of a week it is ready for 

 a new set of experiments. Several species of tick, particularly Rhipice- 

 phalus haemaphsaloides and Haemphysalis bispinosa have been placed on 



