174 



Protectorate : Zaila, May 25th, 1895 {Captain — now Lieut. -Colonel — 

 C. G. Nurse). Portuguese East Africa : Incanine, Lorenzo Marques, 

 December 11th, 190G, " on Kaffir blanket," December 16th, 1906, 

 " on old Kaffir woman " ; Mavota, Lorenzo Marques, December 

 13th, 1906, " on Kaffir child " ; and Inyack Island, Delagoa Bay, 

 February 15th, 1907, " on native's clothes " {F. D. McMillan). 



As regards the occurrence of Hippobosca maculata beyond the 

 confines of Africa, it may be mentioned that the Museum possesses 

 examples from : — the Peninsula of Sinai, Aden, Madagascar, 

 Mauritius, the Seychelle Is., and a number of localities in India and 

 Ceylon. The specimens from India include the type of the species, 

 which is from Bengal.* 



With reference to Hippobosca maculata in Ashanti, Dr. W. M. 

 Graham writesf : — " Specimens of this species were taken upon 

 cattle all over Ashanti, and, when in the Northern Territories some 

 years ago, I found the fly widely distributed. Though living in 

 large numbers upon oxen they do not appear to cause the cattle 

 great annoyance. They frequently follow human beings along the 

 roads, perching upon the back, or legs, or endeavouring to get into 

 the hair of the head. On a couple of occasions flies flew into my 

 bungalow and took refuge in my hair." 



There is evidence that Hippobosca maculata may occasionally 

 bite man. Thus Dr. R. Cope, when forwarding for identification 

 the specimen from the North- West District of Ashanti referred to 

 above, stated that the fly (a female, taken in the verandah of a 

 house) had bitten him on the forearm near the elbow before he caught 

 it ; and the author has been assured by Dr. A. M. Elliot that at 

 Bangalore, in India, he has frequently induced H. maculata to bite 

 him by placing it on his arm. Again, Major F. Smith, D.S.O.. 

 R.A.M.C., when sending a specimen of this fly from Benares, stated 

 that it " bites horses and sometimes men." In a subsequent letter, 

 however, dated " Benares, June 18th, 1907," Major Smith wrote : — 



♦ Leach, who was evidently unaware that H. maculata occurs in Africa, writes 

 {loc. cit.): — "Habitat in India Orientali haud infrequens." 



•)• " Report by Dr. W. M. Graham upon Entomological Observations made in 

 Southern and Central Ashanti, 1907," p. 14 (issued by the Colonial Office, 1909). 



