38 W. A. LAMBORN. 



Artificial Breeding Places. 



A large number of these have now been constructed. At Rifu, in the proclaimed 

 area, twelve large trees, comprising ten species, were felled in early August at distances 

 of about a quarter of a mile apart along the old path running from Kuchuru to 

 Maganga's, and the ground beneath them was thoroughly loosened and pulverised. 

 Twelve more trees were felled at the same time along the path running down the 

 south boundary of the Lingadzi estate towards Kasache. In this locality there was 

 very little choice in regard to the species of the trees, so that ten of the twelve wpre 

 the same. 



The greater part of this work has however been carried out in the vicinity of Mzeze, 

 close to Monkey Bay, where an attempt has been made to establish the breeding places 

 on a definite scale. The locality was selected because it is traversed by the main 

 path to Dedza and the north, because the various types of country affected by the 

 fly are present, and because in this neighbourhood I am best acquainted with the fly 

 distribution, outside the proclaimed area. 



The proximity of breeding places to paths in this country does not in my experience 

 result in material increase in the number of pupae found therein, for except along the 

 trunk roads there is very little traffic, the natives having no trading instincts and little 

 tendency to wander far afield from their villages. So far as possible however breeding 

 places have been placed along the roadside, but the game paths which run in all 

 directions were too sinuous so to be dealt with. 



The work was commenced by cutting a base line of a mile running N.W., the road 

 deviating to such an extent, in spite of the absence of natural obstacles, first on one 

 side of this general direction and then on the other as to be useless for my purpose. 

 From the base line on the east side eight parallel traverses running due east were 

 made in the mile, being marked in such a way as to be found easily at any future 

 date, and along each of the traverses eight breeding places, and in some cases ten, 

 spaced as regularly as possible, were formed by felling trees of various kinds. The 

 first three traverses pass through woodland composed of low shrubs growing so 

 densely as to make one's passage difficult, and the remaining five pass through thorn- 

 bush country. 



The second square mile is on the opposite side of the road and contains four 

 traverses, each running due west, with four artificial breeding places along each. 

 Two run through dense woodland and two through thorn-bush. 



In some of these breeding places the natural soil has been replaced by soil brought 

 from natural breeding places, and in others the earth has been well mixed with frag- 

 ments of rotting wood and bark, with earth from termitaria, and with antelope 

 droppings, the latter method being the only available means of imparting an odour 

 of game to the places, with the idea of ascertaining whether the choice of the fly can 

 be in any way influenced. 



In both of the square miles the great majority of the natural breeding places have 

 been eliminated, pupae and pupa-cases having been previously collected. The work 

 of disposing of the fallen trees turned out to be easy, for fires made of collections 

 of portable timber piled up round the larger trunks smouldered away for days, 

 and in most cases required to be tended once only before all was consumed. 



