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Chapter XXVII 
Ticks 
Ticks or Ixodidae belong to the zoological group of 
the Arthropods, as among other characters they have 
jointed extremities ; and they belong to the class 
Arachnoidea which is characterised by possessing four 
pairs of legs. In this class occur also spiders, mites, etc. 
They thus differ from the insects (Insecta) which have 
only three pairs of legs. They are divided into two 
sub-families, the Ixodinae and the Argasinae. 
Life History of Ticks 
Ixodinae 
Take a neglected dog or other animal infested 
with ticks, e.g. Eurhipicephalus , place it in a cage 
entirely covered with muslin.* Next morning remove 
from the inside females which have left the dog in 
order to lay eggs, and larvae and nymphs in order 
to moult. Place in well-plugged test tubes and observe 
the following stages. 
Egg .—The Ixodinae lay several thousand eggs, the 
process lasting a week or so. The eggs are laid on the 
earth or by some species by preference in cracks. 
During the process the head is forcibly flexed on the 
belly so that the tip of the hypostome touches the 
vulva. A membrane now prolapses from the opening 
of the cephalic gland and protrudes so as to cover the 
* Ticks may be fed on cattle, etc., by placing sleeves on the legs or bags over 
the ears. 
