154 Haemapliysalts punctata 
The female lays her numerous eggs in the ground. The eggs hatch 
out in due course and the six-legged larvae issue. The larvae attach 
themselves to a host and engorge blood, after which, in some cases, they 
fall to the ground, in other’s, they remain attached to the host. In all 
cases, they moult after a time and the eight-legged nymph appears. 
The nymph either attacks a fresh host or reattaches itself to the original 
host; it feeds and when gorged drops off, or in certain species, retains its 
hold. A second metamorphosis takes place and the adult tick, male or 
female, issues from the nymphal skin. 
Copulation takes place upon the host, in some cases ( Ixodes ) it may 
also take place upon the ground. The males suck blood in moderate 
amount (a fact often denied), whilst the females become greatly distended 
with blood which they digest, partially while on the host and partially 
after dropping to the ground, after which, they lay their eggs in due 
course, shrivel and die. We shall consider the life-history in detail in 
our study of Haemaphysalis punctata. 
Although the genus Ixodes is usually regarded as typical of the 
Ixodidae to which it gives its name, we have, for reasons of convenience, 
chosen a species of the genus Haemaphysalis to work upon; we have 
been able to raise it without difficulty through its various stages under 
laboratory conditions; also, the species is sufficiently common in Europe 
to be readily obtained. Most of our material was collected in Kent, the 
gorged males and females being taken, for the most part, from sheep in 
the neighbourhood of Romney Marsh. 
Before proceeding to a further consideration of the structure of 
H. punctata, we would state that, in common with other Ixodidae, the 
main distinctions between the different stages are as follows 
The larva is a minute six-legged creature, possessing no respiratory 
(tracheal) system ; it has no trace of sexual organs. The scutum covers 
but a part of the dorsum. When fully gorged, it is about as large as the 
nymph which subsequently issues. 
The nymph is larger than the unfed larva; it possesses a tracheal 
system and a pair of spiracles; also an Anlage of the genital system, in 
the shape of a minute pit at the site of the future genital orifice. The 
scutum approximates to that of the female. When gorged, it is almost 
as large as the adult which issues from the nymphal skin. We have 
been unable to determine any sexual differences in the larval or nymphal 
stages, but it may be mentioned that nymphs have frequently been 
mistaken by various authors for “ young ” females. 
The adult is larger than the nymph and possesses a well-developed 
