8 



The finest muslin had to be used for the sand-flies, as they were found 

 to force their way through mosquito netting of the smallest mesh 

 obtainable. The flies were liberated every second, third or fourth 

 day into a large net from which they were easily caught separately 

 in small glass tubes for feeding. The observations began wdth seven 

 females and two males on 20th June, and on 8th August, the last fly 

 was dead. During the whole of this time no eggs were laid, though 

 on dissection the females were found to be full of well-developed eggs. 

 It is probable that a suitable medium for their egg-laying was not 

 present. One fly was kept aUve for over forty-six .days, and as this 

 fly had not been raised from the egg its age must have been still greater. 



Brues (C. T.). The Geographical Distribution of the Stahle-FIy, 



Stomoxys calcitrcms. — Jl. Econ. Ento?n., Concord, vi, no. 6, 

 Dec. 1913, pp. 459-477. 



On account of its economic importance, the author publishes a 

 detailed account of the distribution of Stomoxys calcitrans, the 

 geographical range of which is very wide, rivalling that of the house- 

 fly. It occurs commonly in parts of every zoological region, and 

 practically throughout most of them. He considers that it is probably 

 native to the Palaearctic region, whence it has followed man in his 

 migrations to all parts of the world. In the United States it was 

 common in the vicinity of Philadelphia as early as 1776. It is not 

 equally abundant everywhere that it occurs, but it is much more 

 common in temperate regions such as the United States and Argentina. 

 In the Tropics it occurs very generally, but almost always in lesser 

 numbers than in cooler climates. 



Drake-Brockman (R. E.). On the Occurrence of an Epidemic of 

 Relapsing Fever in Bulbar, British Somaliland. — Jl. London 

 School Troj). Med. ii., pt. 3, Nov., 1913, pp. 195-199. , ^ ,.,| 



The author says that as there is apparently no record of the occur- 

 rence of relapsing fever in Somahland, a few remarks on an outbreak 

 occurring during the months of February, March, and April, 1913, may 

 be of interest. This took place at Bulbar, a town on the coast not more 

 than forty years old. The larger part of it consists of many hundreds of 

 huts arranged together in irregular blocks, each block belonging to a 

 distinct tribe, and called locally a " haffa." The haffa in which the 

 outbreak occurred was inhabited by a race of outcasts called Midgans, 

 who are chiefly engaged in sweeping the town or skinning the animals 

 slaughtered daily for the consumption of the inhabitants. The 

 Midgan haffa is set somewhat apart from the other hafEas and near to 

 the slaughter-houses on the outskirts of the town. Being outcasts the 

 Midgans are dirtier in their habits than the other Somalis, but, not- 

 withstanding this, there is one haffa, the Dulbahanta, mostly composed 

 of destitute people, adjoining the Midgan haffa, while several other 

 hafEas are within a short distance. Out of 108 inhabitants in the 

 Midgan haffa on 17th April, thirty-eight persons had recovered and 

 seventeen were suffering. In the Dulbahanta haffa with seventy-five 



