ACARUS. VZ<j 



animals resemble the parents in all respects ex- 

 cept in the number of legs, which at first are 

 only six, and that it is not uncommon to see 

 them struggling to get clear of the egg-shell for 

 a whole day, before they can accomplish their 

 purpose. 



The animal which occasions the disease call- 

 ed the itch is an Acarus, as is also the harvest 

 bug, which attends so closely to the legs of the 

 traveller, as he passes through the corn-fields 

 in Autumn. Karapate is a name given by the 

 inhabitants of the Isle of Bourbon to a species 

 of Acarus, which infests the fowls to such a 

 degree, that they are sometimes unable to bring 

 their wings close to their bodies, on account of 

 the quantity of acari lodged under them. The 

 only remedy is to burn the hen-roost, and that 

 is often ineffectual, since the new building fre- 

 quently becomes filled with these insects in the 

 course of six months. 



Of this genus there are some kinds that attach 

 themselves peculiarly to other insects ; of these 

 the most common is the Icarus Coleoptrato- 

 rwm,figured in PI. 78. This species has so strong 



