451 
Oviposition in Cattle Tick. By Mr. R. T. Lewis. 
had changed in colour from the original chocolate to a dark purple, and 
on the following morning about fifty eggs were found agglomerated in 
a heap in front of its head,* with several adherent to the margin of 
the hard dorsal plate, which appears to represent the upper portion 
of the cephalothorax in Spiders. These eggs — which were of a deep 
brown colour, bluntly oval, and measuring *6 mm. long by *45 mm. 
broad — were transferred to a glass tube in the hope that they would 
in due course hatch. The tick being replaced in the box repeated 
the proceeding two days later, the eggs being, as before, heaped in 
front of the head, hut this time connected to the dorsal plate by 
a continuous chain adherent to it and to each other. It seemed 
clear that some such observation in the case of the Dog Tick — 
Ixodes Ricinus — had originally led Chabrier to form the erroneous 
opinion that the eggs were laid through the mouth, with the 
minute structure of which he was apparently unacquainted. The 
observations of Frisch on the same subject, though nearer the truth, 
were scarcely more conclusive — his assertion being that in laying 
her eggs the female gives out a clear fluid from her mouth for 
fixing the eggs to her body, for which purpose she advances them to 
her mouth when laid — because special precaution previously taken 
enabled me to say with certainty that the creature had not changed its 
position during the process in the slightest degree. A few T evenings 
later, whilst examining the tick with a view to clear up the point, I 
noticed again the change of colour before mentioned, and hoping that 
it might portend a repetition of the proceedings, I placed it in an 
upright position in such a way that I could observe it under the 
Microscope with a low power. The head was much retracted, and I 
perceived for the first time that a deep cavity was formed between 
the upper side of the head and the under surface of the dorsal plate, 
the bottom of which seemed to be filled with mucous matter kept in 
a state of disturbance as if by the movement of something beneath its 
surface. Unfortunately the creature by some means overbalanced, 
and falling from the cell upon the table, abruptly terminated the 
observation. The next evening I specially contrived a cell to meet 
the requirements of the case, by means of which the tick was not only 
safely supported on end without fear of dislodgment, but could also 
be rotated without vibration whilst under the Microscope ; nothing 
else was observed that night, but on the following morning about 
thirty eggs were found to have been laid, most of which were adhering 
to the front margin of the dorsal plate. 
Disappointment at having again been foiled acted, however, only 
as an incentive to increased vigilance, and being determined to see the 
process, if anyhow possible, it was resolved to keep the tick under 
continuous observation throughout the next day, and night, if needful. 
It was therefore placed in the rotating cell with the light and warmth 
of a paraffin lamp converged upon it by a bull’s-eye condenser in such 
* See note following the “ Explanation of Plate.” 
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