- tick. This loathsome little arachnid is found on sheep and deer and is easily picked up by dogs or humans among the heather or bracken. Henry Stephens in The Book of the Farm (1889) observes:
During summer and autumn sheep are subject to attacks by the 'maggot-fly'...and to become infested with various parasites. Chief amongst the latter is the 'ked', 'keb', or 'sheep-tick'.
Their partiality for human blood is well attested. William Cleland in A Collection of Several Poems and Verses (a1689) suggests a lack of personal hygiene:
Their swarms of vermine and sheep kaids, Delights to lodge beneath the plaids;
but even this is surpassed for sheer gothic horror by a poem (1874) by John Hogg on the Siege of Roxburgh:
While up his thighs, wi' devilish bustle
Ran mony a ked;
Now they hae lost their gume [bite] and gustle [hearty meal],
Sin' Robin's dead.
Ticks are potentially dangerous as they may carry Lyme disease, but risk can be minimised if they are removed cleanly as soon as possible and people who are diagnosed early are usually successfully treated. So be sure to tell your doctor about your tick if you become unwell up to 30 days after a tick attack. Always inspect yourself carefully after a day in the hills. Do not just rip them off or you risk leaving mouth parts embedded (theirs!). Try rotating the tick gently in an anticlockwise direction, holding it as near its head as possible. They will also drop off if immersed in oil.