40 
Copulation in Ticks 
front of pair I of the female, and pair II in front of pair II of the female, 
and so on. The male all the while feels about with his mouthparts for 
the female’s genital orifice. 
The process that follows can, with careful handling of the ticks, be 
most conveniently observed by placing the pair in a pit made with the 
end of a pencil in a ball of modelling-wax (plasticine). The ball may 
measure an inch or more in diameter, and can be rolled about to the 
desired position, being fixed there at any moment by slight pressure 
against the glass dish in which it is contained. The female always 
Fig. 1. Ornithodorus mouhata, ? . Showing the emptied portion of the spermatophore 
with the neek-shaped portion attached within the female sexual orifice. Drawn with 
the aid of a camera lucida (G. M. del.). 
seeks to regain her natural position upon a horizontal surface, so it is 
necessary to immobilize her sufficiently to prevent this without hamper¬ 
ing the male. This can be done by modelling the wax. about the edge 
of the pit so that it holds the female in place. Observations on 
free pairs shows that this manipulation, if done carefully, in no way 
interferes with the process. All of our observations were made with 
the aid of a Zeiss binocular micx'oscope which can be inclined at any 
desired angle. 
The male, having found the female’s genital orifice by feeling about 
with his mouthparts, immediately introduces all of these (hypostome. 
