104 



Glossina morsitans is as active in the afternoon as in the morning, 

 the period of chief activity being between the hours of 10 a.m. and 

 4 p.m. ; on dull afternoons, especially if the temperature dropped, 

 there was a marked diminution of the flies. 



Experiments were made to test the colour preferences of the fly : 

 the results were that khaki headed the list for attractiveness, followed 

 in a diminishing sequence by red, blue, bare back of a native, and white ; 

 no flies were attracted by yellow ; buff green canvas was found to be 

 quite as attractive as khaki. 



Regarding the natural enemies of G. morsitans, it was found that 

 birds are not active agents of control, but as they are everywhere 

 very prevalent, they must be at least considered of some potential 

 importance. Those which were found to feed on G. morsitans were 

 the common black drongo, Dicrurus afer, and the small bee-eater, 

 Melittophagtis meridionalis. The other birds which are thought most 

 likely to prey upon tsetses are the helmet-shrikes {Prionops and 

 Sigmodus), the grey babbler {Crateropus) and the roller {Coracias 

 caudatus). No hymenopterous insects, such as Bember or any other 

 Sphegid, were seen to attack tsetses. The remains of one fly were 

 found in a spider's nest ; the spider was not identified as it was too 

 much damaged in transit. 



The bird-lime made by the natives of Nyasaland for trapping the 

 flies was experimented with, but was found of little use. Results of 

 experiments made with some tsetsefuges were unsatisfactory. 



RiCARDO (Gr.). Species of Tabanus from Polynesia in the British 

 Museum and in the late Mr. Verrairs Collection. — Ann. and Mag. 

 Nat. Hist. London, xiii, no. 17, May 1914, pp. 476-479. 



Four species of Tabanus are described from Polynesia, two of which 

 are new : — T. lifuensis. Bigot, from the island of Lifu, T. caledonicus, 

 Ricardo, from the same locality, T. rubricallosus, sp. n., from New 

 Caledonia, and T.fijianus, sp. n., from Fiji. The last-named is described 

 as annoying horses and cattle in forest and open country, and was 

 caught while feeding on the hand of the captor. 



Valladares (J. F.). Equine Biliary Fever in Madras. — Parasitology, 

 Cambridge, vii, no. 1, May 1914, pp. 88-94. 



Concerning the mode of propagation of this disease in Madras, 

 ticks came to be regarded with suspicion, and the author noticed 

 that in all the cases he dealt with, the horses were infested with these 

 acarids at one time or another. This suspicion is accentuated by the 

 fact that in an outbreak of equine biliary fever in Southern Russia 

 ticks, recognised as Hyalomma aegyptium, were found on the horses, 

 although it has not yet been proved that this tick is the transmitting 

 agent. Joliffe observed the absence of ticks in outbreaks of biliary 

 fever amongst cavalry horses in India, and suggests that the parasite 

 is disseminated by some winged insect, while Lingard assumed that 

 mosquitos were the carriers. In Russia, Marzinovsky and Belitzer 

 found the tick Dermacentor reticulaius on infected horses, and stated 

 that locally bred horses are almost immune to the disease, whereas 

 imported horses are very susceptible. Theiler demonstrated equine 



