133 



and localities in which native experience has tanglit that cattle 

 may he safely grazed. ()n comparino- the map which represents 

 the"^ distribution of cattle, with another map showing_ the dis- 

 tribution of tsetse-flies, it is seen that the districts in which 

 cattle are absent are, with the exception of those in the south- 

 western corner, almost co-extensive with the districts in which 

 G. inorsitans has been found. The correspondence is so close 

 that it suggests that the presence of the insect is the reason why 

 cattle cannot live in these districts. Fulani cattle, however, live 

 and breed, apparently in perfect health, in districts in which 

 G. 'palpalis and G. tachinoides are widely distributed, and it is 

 an everyday occurrence to see herds of cattle grazing beside the 

 streams' at the very spots where these tsetses have been found to 

 be most common. A few dwarf cattle are met with in the 

 southern and south-western districts, and there is some reason to 

 suppose that tliese animals, even when living in country haunted 

 by G. snhmoi-sitans, may escape the attacks of these insects, as 

 collections of biting flies made at the spots where they were 

 actually grazing did not include this species, although specimens 

 of both G. jKilpalis and G. tachinoides were taken. 



With regard to the apparent absence of human trypanosomiasis 

 the author says that the comparative scarcity of game must be 

 taken into consideration, but there is some reason to believe that 

 the native population is less susceptible to the disease in West 

 Africa than in other parts of the Continent. Nevertheless the 

 opening up of the couiitry is accompanied by the introduction of 

 individuals, both Europeans and natives, who are certainly not 

 immune. Trypanosomiasis in domestic animals is exceedingly 

 common and the loss on this account is very great. Dr. Macfie 

 points out the practical difficulty of clearing the country of 

 tsetse, which he regards as impossible, and he thinks that stock 

 could be raised in those areas where G. palpalis and G. tacliinoides 

 are not too numerous and are localised in definite haunts. He 

 advocates the clearing of all undergrowth round the villages and 

 towns, and the construction of a number of similarly cleared 

 roads and tracks from this centre towards the farm lands and 

 grazing grounds. Similar clearing should be made for some 

 distance on either side of the local water supply, and_ at the 

 points to which the cattle are led to drink. It might, insome 

 cases, be possible to institute village grazing grounds, suitably 

 enclosed, and with access to a cleared portion of a stream, in 

 which the small domestic animals might be confined. The site 

 of these plots would have to be changed from time to time, but 

 the land thus fertilised would be valuable for agricultural pur- 

 poses, and additions would be made in this way automatically to 

 the cleared areas around the villages. Natives should be en- 

 couraged to farm the road-sides, as cultivation has proved to be 

 the most effective way of exterminating tsetse-flies. This would 

 afford protection to local cattle moving from pasture to pasture 

 and would tend to diminish the spread of infection carried by 

 herds passing through the province on their_ way to the coast. 

 The most natural course would be to examine herds on their 

 arrival in the province at the four points at which they cross 

 the Niger, and to slaughter or detain all tliose likely to cause 



