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THE SENSOEY PERCEPTIONS OF ARGAS 
PERSICUS (OKEN). 
By EDWARD KINDLE, B.A., PhD., 
Beit Memorial Research Fellow, 
AND GORDON MERRIMAN, F.Z.S., F.E.S., 
Student in Medical Entomology. 
{From the Quick Laboratory, University of Cambridge.) 
(With 2 Diagrams.) 
Introduction. 
Although numerous papers dealing with the anatomy and general 
biology of ticks have appeared during the last few years, up to the 
present Lahille (1905) is the only writer who has attempted to throw 
any light upon the sensory perceptions of the Ixodoidea. However, 
Lahille’s notes on the behaviour of Boophiliis annulatus, the female of 
which was the only tick with which he experimented, are somewhat 
imperfect, although he was the first to suggest the true function of 
“ Haller’s organ ”—the only sensory organ which is known to occur in 
all stages of every member of this group. Last year, in this laboratory. 
Miss D. Jordan Lloyd commenced working on this subject, under 
Prof. Nuttall’s direction, and performed numerous experiments, without, 
however, arriving at any definite conclusions as to the behaviour of the 
ticks. Being unable to complete the work, none of these results 
were published but when, subsequently, we took up this investigation 
Miss Jordan Lloyd very kindly allowed us to make full use of her notes. 
It was with the object of clearing up some of the ambiguities regarding 
the sensory perceptions of ticks and especially to determine the 
function of “Haller’s organ,” that the present investigation was 
commenced. 
