Bpril 71 



them for any length of time and never be interfered 

 with or driven off.' 



The tsetse fly of Africa is perhaps the most 

 formidable of these insect plagues ; its bite is fatal 

 to horses, oxen, and dogs. Dr. Livingstone was 

 constantly hindered in his missionary journeys by 

 this apparently insignificant enemy, for in one short 

 journey, although he scarcely saw more than twenty 

 of the flics, yet forty-three of his valuable draught 

 oxen died from their attacks. 



The tsetse fly is scarcely so large as a bluebottle, 

 of a brown colour, with yellow markings, and a long 

 proboscis ; fortunately, its bite is harmless to man, 

 but travellers may well dread its peculiar buzz, as 

 it may portend the death of their horses and cattle, 

 by means of which alone they can journey across the 

 African deserts. 



THE DEATH'S HEAD MOTH (Acherontia atropos) 



I had a surprise this morning. A splendid specimen 

 of the death's head moth (Acherontia atropjs] came 

 out of its chrysalis, and was reposing upon a small 

 branch I had placed for its convenience. For seven 

 months I have been tending this said chrysalis, 

 keeping the moss on which it rested sufficiently damp 

 and yet not too wet, as either extreme would have 

 been fatal to the insect. 



Never having seen a living specimen of this, one 

 of the largest of our native sphinxes, I gazed with 

 delight at the varied markings on the body and 

 wings, a rich intermingling of brown, blue, fawn and 

 velvety black. 



The antennae are black and end in a white hooked 



