192 HAKOLD H. KING. 



Mating habits. Although pairs of ticks ready to mate were kept under close 

 observation, the act of copulation was not witnessed. Probably it takes place only 

 at night. One male can certainly fertilise at least three females, for, as noted above, 

 five newly matured females were bred from though only two males were available. 



Oviposition. The ticks were confined in glass-bottomed pill-boxes containing a 

 little fine dry sand. They spent their time buried in the sand and oviposited in this 

 position. When a batch of eggs had been laid, the female remained over it and, if 

 undisturbed, continued to brood the eggs until they hatched. For this reason it 

 was almost impossible to ascertain when oviposition had ceased without disturbing 

 the female. 



Incubation period. The incubation period has not been accurately determined. 

 In one instance it was about 26 days, the first eggs of the batch being laid between 

 17th and 18th November and the larvae appearing on 13th December. 



Larva. A newly hatched larva is feeble and disinclined to move. After two or 

 three days the chitin hardens and the proboscis, palpi and legs, which are at first 

 colourless, acquire a bright chestnut hue. The larva then becomes more active. 

 If breathed upon it becomes excited and runs about, apparently in search of food. 

 Mr. Cottam, who has been in charge of the ticks, states however that they do not feed 

 readily until about 10 days old. 



Food of the larva. Attempts were made to feed the larvae obtained in April 1914 

 on a chick, a nestling sparrow and pigeons. They refused to take any notice of the 

 chick, but attached themselves readily to the sparrow and pigeons. After becoming 

 partially gorged on these hosts however they died, without dropping off. Efforts 

 were made to feed the larvae obtained in November and December 1914 on nestling 

 and adult sparrows, young wild doves and bats, but without success. On the sparrows 

 they would live for several days, but, with one exception, they all die sooner or later. 

 The exception was a larva which remained attached to a fledgling sparrow for nine 

 days, at the end of which time, when it appeared to be almost full-fed, the sparrow 

 escaped. The larvae refused absolutely the wild doves, and only one specimen could 

 be induced to attach itself to a bat — this larva was dead by the following day. 



It was thought that probably the guineafowl would prove to be a suitable host for 

 the larvae, but considerable difficulty was experienced in obtaining one. Eventually 

 one was procured through the kindness of Captain Edwardes, A.D.C. to His Excellency 

 the Governor General, and on this bird the larvae fed readily. At first they were 

 placed on the under side of the wing, but only one attached itself. This specimen 

 had disappeared by the following morning. On the loose skin of the head, in the ring 

 of wiry feathers surrounding the ear and among the short feathers on the upper part 

 of the neck however they attached themselves readily. 



Nineteen larvae attached themselves to the head of the bird on the 13th December 

 1914 and thirty more two days later. Twenty-six were recovered between 21st 

 December and 1st January. These larvae were fed on rabbits, and those surviving 

 at the time of writing had taken five meals and moulted four times. The remainder 

 were killed and preserved in various stages of development. 



The original stock of 26 gorged larvae recovered from the guineafowl is now repre- 

 sented by one third-stage nymph and five fourth-stage nymphs. More larvae are 



