TICHBORITE TRIAL. 271 TICK. Roger Charles. Despite his ignorance, he ex- hibited remarkable shrewdness and cunning at the trial, which lasted 103 days and ended in his being nonsuited. In 1873 he was tried for per- jury, being defended by Edward Keneally, and after a trial of 188 days he was convicted, and sentenced to fourteen years' penal servitude. He was released in 1884, and again attempted to stir up public sentiment in his favor, but was un- successful. The cost of the two trials has been estimated at £200,000. He died in abject pov- erty in 1898. Consult: The Ticlibornc Honiimce (Manchester, England, 1871) ; Charge of Lord Chief Justice of England in the Case of Queen vs. Thomas Costro {London, 1874). TICINO, te-che'no. A river of Switzerland and Northern Italy (Map: Switzerland. C 2). It rises on the southern slope of the Saint Got- thard, and flows south and southeast, traversing Lago Maggiore, and emptying into the Po after passing the city of Pavia. Its length is 154 miles. Its upper course is a wild mountain ton-ent flow- ing through romantic gorges, but below the lake it is navigable and communicates with several canals. TICINO (Ger. Tessin) . A southern canton of Switzerland, bordering on Italy, between Valais on the west and Grisons on the east. Area, 1088 square miles (Map: Switzerland, C 2). It has a very mountainous surface intersected by the valleys of the Ticino, Maggia, Moesa, and of a few other streams. In the north rise the Lepontine Alps with the Saint Gotthard, in the east are the Adula Alps, while the southern part around Lago Maggiore is com- paratively low, and is the most fertile part of the canton. Notwithstanding its mountainous character, Ticino has two-thirds of its area under cultivation. Cereals are the chief products, but southern fruits and grapes are also cultivated on a large scale. The manufacturing industries are undeveloped and native artisans emigrate annually to other parts of Europe. The chief means of transportation is the Saint Gotthard Railway. The Constitution (as amended in 1802) provides for a Legislative Assembly elected by the people on the basis of proportional representation, and an Executive Council, also elected by the peo- ple. The optional referendum prevails. Popula- tion, in 1888, 126,751; in 1000, 138,638, almost exclusively Italians. Capital, Bellinzona (q.v. ). Consult Motta, Bibliografia storica ticinese (Zu- rich ) . Ticino as part of Gallia Cisalpina was early joined to the Roman Republic. After the decline of the Roman power it passed successively into the hands of the Ostrogotlis, Lombards, and Franks. During the later medireval period its territory formed a portion of the Duchy of Milan, from which it was wrested in successive con- quests during the fifteenth and sixteenth cen- turies by the members of the Swiss Confederacy, whose title was confirmed by the 'Eternal Peace' of 1516. The attempt to establish Protestantism in the District of Locarno was rigorously stamped out by the exile of members of that faith in 1555. The rule of the Italian district by the other members of the Confederacy was harsh, but only one rebellion, in 1755, marked its course. In 1798 this district, divided into the cantons of Bellinzona and Lugano, was constituted part of the Helvetic Republic: in 1803 they were united into one canton — Ticino — which received greater privileges as a full member of the Con- federacy. Other difliculties were removed by the Constitution of 1830, but measures of a religious and commercial nature have often separated the inhabitants from the sympathy of their northern neighbors, and local struggles of Radical and intramontane parties have often necessitated federal interference. TICK (AS. ticia, miswritten for tiica, tlca, Ger. Zecke, tick; connected with Arm. tiz, tick). One of those members of the order Acarina which belong to the families Argasid;c and Ixo- didiE, which have been grouped together in the superfamily Ixodoidea. The ticks or 'louse-flies' are eight-legged creatures in which the cephalo- thora.x is coalesced with the abdomen. The young, newly hatched individual is flat and near- ly circular and has only six legs. With the first molt it enters the second or nymphal stage, which is characterized by the presence of a fourth pair of legs. After the second molt it be- comes mature. In the free-living state the body of a mature tick is flattened dorsally and is of an oval shape. The body is covered with a leathery integument which generally assumes on the dorsal surface a hardened, chitinous, more or less smooth, and darker appearance. Near the margin it is impressed by a depressed line leaving a distinct rim around the body. All ticks, so far as known, although found upon plants in their early stages, are parasites of animals. The young seek on every possible occasion to fasten themselves to vertebrate ani- mals. Mammals and birds seem to be preferred, and spots where the skin is soft are chosen. When the ver}- young first fasten tliemselves they cannot penetrate deeply enough to draw blood, but the irritation causes a suppuration on which they feed. When, how^ever, they have grown sufliciently to enable them to reach a blood-ves- sel, the small, flat, semitransparent creatures soon become distended, the body becomes rounded, and the color frequently becomes dark red. In a week or more the larva is transformed into the nymph, which at the expiration of anotlier week is changed to a mature individual. The female only sucks blood, so far as is known. The male retains its form and size, and although it at- taches itself to warm-blooded animals, it evident- ly does so only for the purpose of seeking the female. Several species occur in the United States. The common dog tick or wood tick (Dermaccnior elcctiis) is found frequently in the woods in the Northern States. The common tick occurring upon the ground-squirrel in the Mississippi Val- ley is Ixodes riciniis. Argas miniatus is very de- structive to chickens in parts of Texas and Florida, and Argas reflexus. the pigeon tick, is common in pigeon-houses in both Europe and the Southern L'nited States. This species is capable of living an almost incredible length of time without food. In Persia a species, the miana-bug {Argas PersiecF), lives in houses and seeks its human prey at night ; its bite causes serious disturbance, and is said even to cause death. In South America a species known as 'garapate' {Amblgomma Americaninn) occurs in dry, bushy places, where it clings to twigs and transfers it- self to passing horses or cattle as opportunity oc- curs. It also lives in the United States and
