364 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



THE SHEEP TICK MELOPHAGUS OVINUS. 



Some writers on sheep and their numerous troubles, have 

 said that this insect seldom causes much damage to the sheep 

 in any way. Experienced shepherds will differ in this. They are well 



aware that this insect does very 

 serious injury to the sheep as 

 being both the direct and indirect 

 cause of not only inconvenience, 

 but disturbance of the health and 

 prosperity of both the sheep and 

 the lambs. They interfere with 

 the growth of the lambs by 

 crowding on to them as soon as 

 the ewes are shorn, and then 

 begins a mostly unsuspected 

 drainage of the life blood of 



the hope of the flock, as the ancient writer well called the lambs. 

 The lambs, suffering seriously from these blood suckers, one hun- 

 dred of which on a lamb will easily drain it dry of blood in a few 

 days, cannot prosper, and soon become emaciated and weak, 

 and never after recover the loss of vitality thus inflicted on 

 them. 



This insect is a degraded fly in every sense of the word, hav- 

 ing no wings, but six legs only. The species differs from the true 

 ticks, which belong to the spider family, while the sheep tick is a 

 member of the diptera or two-winged insects, which have only six 

 legs,the spider families having eight legs. Like many other flies, 

 as the deer fly, the horse fly, and the mosquito, the sheep tick is a 

 blood sucker and an exceedingly hungry one. Sixty drops are the 

 usual measure of one liquid ounce, and an inch tick will easily 

 draw several drops of blood from a lamb in twenty-four hours, 

 always having its pump in operation, day and night, and it is by 

 no means rare that a hundred of these pests may feed on one 

 lamb, it is easy to figure out the problem, how long will so many 

 ticks drain a lamb dry of blood. 



When the ewes are shorn, the ticks migrate immediately on to 

 the lambs, burying themselves in the thick, short wool and im- 

 mediately begin active business. This serious view of the case 

 of the ticks against the sheep, is not sufficiently considered; and 

 it should be made a practice when the sheep are shorn, to pro 

 ceed at once to dip the lambs and so relieve them of these 

 persecutors for good and all, and of course save the sheep in the 

 future. As to this, the tick should be classed next to the scab 

 mite, and treated accordingly. 



This fly has a unique interest to the scientific student, inas- 

 much as it brings forth its young, not in the form of eggs or liv- 

 ing larvae, but in an advanced stage as pupae. These are the 

 almost round, red bodies, seen attached to the wool on ticky ani- 

 mals. They are to be got rid of most industriously. The author 

 has had experience in clearing the lambs and sheep both in a 



