Cl. E. Bodkin 
15 
Female tick B lived 496 days. On 11. vii. 17 she was placed on a toad 
(without being fertilized by a male) and soon became attached. When about 
engorged she dropped off (9. viii. 17) and was placed in a glass tube stood in 
damp sand. Oviposition took place and the eggs ultimately hatched. This 
tick therefore lived for 451 days without food and at the end of that period 
was still able to attach herself, become engorged, and afterwards lay fertile eggs 
without being attended by a male; truly a most remarkable performance. 
The total life cycle of A. dissimile, provided that each stage promptly finds 
a host, takes roughly 153 days as follows: 
From the deposition of the eggs to hatching thereof ... ... 27 days 
Five days allowed for larvae to harden before attachment to host 5 ,, 
Engorgement ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 „ 
Ecdysis ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 ,, 
One week allowed for nymph to harden ... ... ... ... 7 ,, 
Engorgement ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 13 ,, 
Ecdvsis ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 ,, 
V 
Ten days allowed for adult to harden ... ... ... ... 10 ,. 
Engorgement ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 41 „ 
From engorgement to production of eggs roughly ... ... ... 5 ,, 
153 days 
Under natural conditions however this period must be very greatly 
lengthened as it is seldom that a host is found at once. 
I have observed copulation repeatedly in the laboratory. A number of 
males were collected from toads, brought to the laboratory and there placed 
in tubes with females. In most cases the sexual act took place at once but if 
the males had been kept in captivity for some time it became a difficult matter 
to induce them to copulate. The act was observed when females which were 
about 4 engorged and had to be forcibly removed from their host were placed 
together with males. 
The male approaches the female and after a short examination makes his 
way beneath her body. Having gained the required position, with his ventral 
surface in apposition to that of the female, he secures his position by clinging 
with his legs to the basal joints of the female’s legs. His front pair of legs 
being in advance of the base of the same pair of legs of the female. The other 
legs, in succession, in similar positions. His hold is most tenacious. The female 
usually remains more or less quiescent during the whole operation. As soon 
as the male has attained the requisite position he at once commences to feel 
with his proboscis for the genital aperture of the female into which he eventu¬ 
ally thrusts his mouthparts, with the exception of the palps. A probing 
motion is set up and soon the mouthparts penetrate deeper. A small quantity 
of liquid is now observed about the edges of the sexual orifice of the female. 
This gradually hardens. The female aperture now appears to become gradu¬ 
ally enlarged and depressed owing to the continued probing movements of 
the male. The movements of the male last for a varying length of tinre; 
they may even take as long as ten minutes. At last the male slightly lifts 
