88 A NATURE WOOING. 



stream, is lured to a green dressing spot of weeds or 

 grass ! He may, for the time, consider himself fortu- 

 nate in getting rid of mud and dirt, but he will after- 

 wards find to his sorrow that he exchanged them for 

 something far more tenacious in these microscopic 

 harvest mites. If he has obtained a good supply of 

 them, he will in a few hours begin to suffer from se- 

 vere itching, and for the next two or three days will 

 be likely to scratch until his limbs are sore. 



"With the strong mandibles and the elbowed max- 

 illae, which act like arms, this mite is able to bury it- 

 self completely in the flesh, thereby causing a red 

 swelling, with a pale pustulous center, containing 

 watery matter. If, in scratching, he is fortunate 

 enough to remove the mite before it enters, the part 

 soon heals. But otherwise the irritation lasts for two, 

 three, or four days, the pustulous center reappearing 

 as often as it is broken. 



"The animal itself, on account of its minute size, 

 is seldom seen, and the uninitiated, when first 

 troubled with it, are often alarmed at the symptoms, 

 and at a loss to account for them. Fortunately these 

 little plagues never attach themselves to persons in 

 such immense numbers as do sometimes young or so- 

 called 'seed' ticks; but I have known cases where, 

 from the irritation and consequent scratching, the 

 flesh had the appearance of being covered with 

 ulcers ; and in some localities, where these pests most 

 abound, sulphur is often sprinkled during 'jigger' 



