310 
EASTERN ETHIOPIA 
XXV 
an animal for six days, then after passing again through 
a period of concealment and torpidity for eleven weeks, 
moults, and emerges as a mature tick. When attached 
to an animal the female tick seeks a male tick, and 
after pairing she remains on the animal till thoroughly 
distended with blood, then drops off, descends to the 
The Tick {Ornithodoros mouhata). A. Natural size. B. Highly 
magnified. 
earth, and lays eggs. At least a year is occupied by 
the whole cycle. The male remains on the animal for 
months after the female has fallen off. 
Adult ticks are visible to the naked eye, and the 
females are usually bigger than the males. In some 
species the female tick, when full of eggs or distended 
with blood, may measure two centimetres in length. 
The species known as Ornithodoros mouhata is 
widely distributed through East Africa. Its body is 
flattened and oval in outline. The integument is hard 
and leathery. The female of this species is about 8 mm. 
