36 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 



The Forest Tick 



Who has not during an outing, 

 or traveling through a forest, 

 or along the refreshing banks 

 of a romantic rivulet been exposed 

 to the tortures of the small crablike 

 wood-tick? Many a pleasure and 

 recreation seeking party has often 

 been made miserable and disap- 

 pointed at a beautiful camping 

 place on account of these mean little 

 creatures; but a little precautionary 

 measure usually will prevent this' 



Our bottom land, and in par- 



Head and Mouth Parts op Forest Tick 



ticular certain trees and plants 

 in mountainous regions, and the 

 live oak forests, conceal immense 

 numbers of the pesky parasites, 

 and, in camping at such places, 

 it is always well to ' be provided 

 with some camphorated oil or 

 carbolated vaseline as a precaution- 



ary measure to ward off the 

 intruders — as well as other insects 

 of the pesky tribe. 



When once perforated with their 

 powerful mouthdrills, the small 

 reverted hooks of the boring- 

 machines cling to the body tissues 

 like a leech and only the forcible 

 tearing off of . the tick's head 

 lessens the excrutiating pain these 

 pests inflict. 



The original microscopic illus- 

 tration herein of our common wood- 

 tick exposes the powerful boring, 

 cutting and suction implements 

 of a young tick, considerably 

 magnified. 



With these three strong, boring 

 instruments the tick bores, cuts 

 and dilates the scarrified tissues 

 until blood oozes, and the entire 

 boring machine is inserted down 

 to the base parts of the head, 

 at the same time the smaller and 

 broader cylindriform suction in- 

 strument (seen on the photo) 

 serves as the main suction and 

 absorption apparatus of the tick 

 with which it sucks the blood. 



This boring and cutting act 

 into the skin is very painful, 

 and the riveted hooklets hinder 

 the boring apparatus to be re- 

 tracted and usually is so tightly 

 entangled within the tissues that 

 only by force the tick's body 

 can be removed — usually leaving 

 the entire mouth-parts and the 

 head of the tick inside the skin. 



The Texas Cattle Tick and Eggs Under Microscope 



It is hardly conceivable to the 

 casual observer how immensely 

 the cattle tick really propagates 

 but a mere glance at the photo- 

 engravings herein, at once ex- 

 plains the matter. 



Through courtesy of a farmer 

 friend at the Olmos settlement, 

 Anton Krug, the writer had oc- 

 casion to peruse a few private ob- 

 servations regarding the interest- 



ing development of the pestiferous 

 cattle tick, how it breeds its eggs 

 and how they develop into the 

 mature insect. 



Some years ago, Mr. Krug had 

 gathered from his cattle, during 

 the months of December and Jan- 

 uary, numerous cattle ticks in a 

 small perforated box, and some of 

 these I preserved in a plain small 

 pill box, partly covered with cot- 



