Insecta. 279 



Near Geidam G. taclünoides was found in numbers in a patch of dense jungle 

 with thick undergrowth, in the proximity of more open, swampy ground. It 

 seems thafc the flies very rarely leave this jungle: they were not found at a village 

 only 400 yards distant on the opposite side of the river. Deep shade and proxi- 

 mity to water appear to be the chief factors in their localisation. During the 

 day they are very restless, never remaining long in one position, but they appear 

 to rarely rise more than about 5 feet above the ground. The writer discovered 

 with difficulty that their natural resting-place, when they settle from flight, is 

 on the under side of small twigs and branches (usually those in a more or less 

 horizontal position), in the shade of large trees. The twigs chosen to rest on were 

 usually less than 2 feet above the ground, never more than 4 or 5: only rarely 

 were flies seen to rest on vertical stems, and never on boles of trees or on leaves. 



The flies require food frequently. Experiments were made (by confining them 

 in bottles) to determine how long they can withstand starvation. When not 

 supplied with moisture they die after from 24 to 30 hours, but in the presence 

 of moisture survive longer. When thus confined, the surviving flies feed on the 

 dead ones. The writer considers that in a wild state they may sometimes feed 

 on other insects. As far as could be shown by experiment, they do not feed 

 on monkeys or birds, but on ground animals. They feed voraciously on men when 

 the latter enter their haunts. 



The patch of forest w-as entirely cleared of its undergrowth, the cut Vege- 

 tation being destroyed by burning, but the large trees left untouched. At first 

 this seemed to make no difference to the distribution of the flies, which did not 

 appear to spread outside the f orest-patch : but about a month later no flies at 

 all could be found in the patch of forest, they having either died or left the lo- 

 cality. H. Scott (Cambridge). 



909) Newstead, K., A new Tsetse-fly from British East Africa. In: Ann. Trop. 

 Med. and Parasitol. (Liverpool), Bd. VI, Heft IB, S. 129—130, 1912. 



Glossina ansteni, a new species of the palpalis-gxow.^, is described. 



H. Scott (Cambridge). 



910) Pollard, J. (West Afric. Med. Service), Notes on the Tsetse-flies of 

 Muri Province, Northern Nigeria. In: Bull. Ent. Research, Bd. III, 

 Heft 2, S. 219—221 (and map), 1912. 



The writer finds that along the Benue River and its tributaries the most 

 common species is Glossina tachinoides. It is associated with the f ringe of dense 

 bush at the river-side ("kurimi"), or where this is absent, with Mimosa asperata. 

 At Ibi (Headquarters of the Province), in spite of much Clearing, G. tachinoides 

 is very troublesome in the houses, being less numerous from December to May, 

 but never quite absent. Its fondness for dark surfaces appears to be shown by 

 the fact that when a native in a dark dress enters a house, G. tachinoides enters 

 with him. G. palpalis is associated with G. tachinoides^ but in localised patches 

 and far smaller numbers. G. morsitans is found further from the river, behind 

 the fringe of bush. It flies behind natives close to, and on a level with, their 

 ankles, frequently resting on the ground. In certain places it is associated with 

 a Haematopota. Epidemics of sleeping-sickness have taken place in the past, and 

 villages along the Benue R. frequently contain one or two cases: it is undoubted- 

 ly endemic along this river. With regard to cattle-trypanosomiasis, there is in 

 the Munshi district a small black breed of cattle apparently immune; neither 

 hoi'ses nor imported Fuhlani cattle can live in this district. 



H. Scott (Cambridge). 



