414 
Biologif of Ixodiclae 
Note :—Lounsbury (1, 2, 4) states that the $ stays 6J—10-12 days upon the host if she has 
found a mate from the start; she does not remain attached for a longer period in 
mnter than in summei’. The $ gorges most rapidly on cattle (8 days), less quickly 
on goats and sheep (9-10 days). When attached to the udder and belly of a goat 
they feed more rapidly than they do upon the legs and feet where they may at times 
cling as long as 25 days. If the J is not vii’ile the 5 niay remain attached for some 
weeks. He found (1, 2, .3, 4) that the ^ continued to stay upon the host after the 
$ had dropped oS gorged. The (J often remains attached upwards of 105 days and 
one specimen stayed on 365 days without a mate. Lounsbury (1) saw many o’s 
stiU fixed to the hide of an ox four days after its removal and when it had become 
putrid. 
Behaviour of the sexes upon the host. Lounsbury (1) gives an interesting accomit 
of how he first observed the pairing of the sexes. In the first experiment one-third 
of the (Js and only 1 $ attached themselves to the host out of four successive lots 
placed upon a cow. In a second experiment one-half of the (Js attached themselves, 
but none of the $s did so until several days had elapsed. He VTites: “ Then I renewed 
my attempts. Twenty $s were dropped into the cloth (beneath the belly of the host) 
and in a few moments I loosened a corner to see what was happening. Great was my 
surprise at the sight I beheld. Pushing and crowding each other about one lone 
cJ were six excited and quarrelsome members of the opposite sex, four were about 
another, and two more fought over a third.” The ^ attached to the host became 
visibly excited upon the approach of the $, even when she was 5-6 inches away. 
“He straightens his body, which before was lying against the animal, until it stands 
at right angles, and further expresses his desire for company by clawing the air with 
all eight legs. She rushes up, is caught and held by his legs, and in a moment the 
pair is in close embrace, the legs of each entwining the body of the other.” Attached 
(Js are not attractive to $s until the 4^7th day, and, before the is ready, he does 
not react upon the approach of the $. It is unusual for $s to attach themselves 
to the host without a (J being near; only 1 out of 320 $s was seen to attach herself 
in the absence of a (J. By marking the (Js upon a host, L. and L. J. Roberts were 
the first to observe that a ^ may mate with several $s.] 
