78 
Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 
stout, translucent hairs on dorsal surface, more numerous anteriorly and 
near lateral margins, where some are set on the lateral edge, all projecting 
backwards. Anus at the posterior third of length, elliptical in outline, 
one very long, slender spine, on each valve ; six stout spines surrounding 
anus at short distance from it, otherwise no spines on ventral 
surface. Rostrum set in a slight pit with rim raised anteriorly and 
laterally % only the base covered by the body, remainder projecting beyond 
the anterior edge. Mandibles as in nymph ; hypostome spatulate, rounded 
at tip, on each half nine small teeth at the tip in three transverse rows, 
then one transverse row of four teeth/followed by one or two rows of three 
teeth each, then two large teeth in each row to near the base of the 
hypostome ; palpi free, cylindrical, curved downward, article I as wide as: 
long, articles II and III longer than wide, article IV conical, numerous 
long translucent hairs an all the articles, those on articles II and III 
dentate, a tuft of terminal hairs on article IV. Legs stout ; equal in length ; 
numerous long hairs ; coxae contiguous ; tarsi very long, not so abruptly 
truncate at tip as in adult ; claws long. (Engorged) length, 2 to 3 mm. by 
1.5 to 2 mm. wide, dark blueish in colour, more oval in outline than when 
unengorged, and resembles nymph, except that it lacks the radiating rows 
of pits, having instead furrows which correspond to the rows of pits in 
nymphs and adults. 
Eggs nearly spherical, 0.5 mm. long, surface smooth, colour at first 
bright yellowish brown, then dark chestnut brown. 
Hosts.— Fowls, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, secretary bird, ostrich, 
canary, and man. 
Habitat . — All the north-east and north-west parts of Persia, 
Turkestan, Russia, Egypt, Algeria, Gape Colony; Orange River Colony, 
Transvaal, Mocambique (and probably all of South Africa), and Australia. 
This tick is pre-eminently a pest of fowls, although found occasionally 
on the other birds and animals mentioned. There is scarcely a fowl- 
house in the Transvaal which is entirely free from it, and where fowls are 
allowed to roost in trees the bark of such trees will be found to conceal 
countless numbers. The nests of many of our wild birds are also often 
infested. In South Africa it does not, however, seem to be common close 
to the coast. The same fact has also been noted in Australia. 
The larval ticks are easily transported from one place to another due h> 
their habit of remaining on a fowl for five to seven days before becoming 
engorged and dropping off. Thereafter feeding takes place only at night, 
and lasts only for half an hour to two hours. Both sexes moult three 
times before becoming adult, and while adult, they may feed as many as 
six times. The males differ from the females only in size, being much 
smaller, and in having the genital pore wide, instead of a narrow elongate 
slit. 
Adult ticks have been known to live in vacant fowl-houses as long 
as thirty-seven months without food, and still be capable of oviposition 
after a good feed, while larvae have been left without food for eight months, 
and still survived. 
This Argas will probably be found to convey some diseases of fowls, 
but its greatest injury seems to be in causing loss of blood. In a badly 
