220 
LETTEES EKOM ALABAMA. 
endure tliem. Around the eyes, within and behind 
the ears, at the angles of the limbs, and at the base 
of the tail, we see the vile Ticks’ crowded, of all 
sizes, according to their various degrees of bloat- 
edness ; some dropping off in succession, when 
unable to carry more, and making room for empty 
and thirsty expectants. The poor animals well 
appreciate the relief which is occasionally rendered 
them by their human friends, and will stand pa- 
tiently and quietly, while the disgusting vermin 
are plucked, off, one by one. A day or two ago, I 
picked up in the high road a large Tick, that had 
no doubt dropped spontaneously from some beast, 
when sated with blood. Its natural size would 
have been about that of this letter [0], and 
scarcely thicker than paper ; but it now appeared 
of the dimensions of a large horse-bean, both in 
diameter and thickness, tensely swollen, and as if 
ready to burst. Its body was a mere bag, filled 
with black clotted blood : no motion was percep- 
tible in it, yet it was probably still alive. 
It is commonly stated here, and I think it is 
probably correct, that these Ticks live three years. 
The first season they are called Seed-ticks— the 
minute ones mentioned above ; the next year they 
become Yearling-ticks ; and the third, Old-ticks. 
They are among the most disagreeable pests of the 
country ; I dislike them even more than the Mos- 
quitoes ; 'though their season, to be sure, is much 
more brief. 
I have heard that in India the residents distin- 
guish two kinds of tiger-hunting, one of which is 
less agreeable than the other ; viz. that in which 
you hunt the tiger, and that in which the tiger 
hunts you. And so it seems that this style of 
