1.   Along with Ehrlichia bacteria and the Lyme spirochete, a third infectious agent is sometimes carried by the deer tick.

2.   Also, fewer deer ticks are testing positive for the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, although scientists do not know why.

3.   And those concerns have largely prompted the recent wave of scrutiny of the life and habits of the deer tick.

4.   But no one will want to tarry long in the high rough because, among the obvious hazards, it also harbors deer ticks that carry Lyme disease.

5.   Deer ticks are much smaller than common dog ticks, only about the size of a sesame seed.

6.   Deer ticks feed on the blood of those animals and can spread the disease to humans they bite.

7.   Deer ticks crawl around the body for hours before settling down to feed, he added, and during that time they are easily washed off with a cloth.

8.   He described Lyme disease as a common ailment on Shelter Island because of the presence of many deer and the deer ticks that transmit the disease.

9.   He spent more time in the high rough than the deer ticks that populate Shinnecock.

10.   If your idea of a great getaway includes hiking or camping in the woods, be aware of the possible presence of tiny deer ticks that carry Lyme disease.