Ticks
These belong to the same group as Mites, viz., the Acarida, and are not insects, in the strict sense, at all. They are fairly numerous, and have been placed under several genera, included in the family Ixodidae, which takes its name from the chief genus, Ixodes. To this genus almost all the British Ticks belong. They all live in woods and thickets, or upon low herbage, apparently feeding, for a time at least, on the juices of plants; but all Ticks seek to attach themselves to the bodies of passing animals; and, once attached, they bury their proboscis in the animal's skin, and live there for the rest of their lives, unless dislodged, sucking blood, and growing rapidly. It has been supposed that each species is parasitic upon a single species of animal; but though each usually shows a preference for some one species of host, they are able to subsist on others also, and all animals, from man downwards, are liable to their attacks. Dogs are peculiarly troubled with them; and in Britain, the one known as the Dog-tick (I. erinaceus) is common on dogs, cattle, & c.
In general appearance, Ticks are much alike, all being covered by a tough skin, with no division into segments. They are usually ovate or elliptical in form; each of their eight legs ends in a sucker and two claws, giving a firm grasp; and the head bears a barbed snout, which, once buried under the skin, cannot be withdrawn. The palpi, or feelers, at the sides of the mouth, contain two tubes for sucking in the fluid food. Some Ticks have eyes, others have none. Each bears a small, horny shield on the back, behind the head. The largest species, when full of blood, may become as large as a common bean; but few reach this size.
Ticks sometimes cause much annoyance to gardeners in autumn, by fixing themselves to the skin, in the manner described above. They can be got rid of by washing the affected parts with an infusion of tobacco, which stupefies them, and weakens their hold on the skin, so that they can be readily removed. If Ticks are carelessly pulled off, the head and fore limbs are often left in the wound, and are apt to cause annoying sores, if not removed at once.