XXV 



I'KSTS : JK;<;KI;S. TI< KS. AND MOSQUITOES. 



IN Uganda there are four insects so abundant and 

 so troublesome to man that they are very properly 

 placed in the category of pests. These four insects 

 are the sand flea, the tick, the mosquito, and the 

 tsetse fly. 



The Sand Flea, also known as Chigger or Jigger, 

 corruptions of Chigoe, its West Indian name, formerly 

 confined to the tropical parts of America and the West 

 Indies, was carried to the west coast of Africa by 

 trading-vessels and appeared in that country about 

 1872 ; the parasite subsequently spread over tin- 

 .u renter part of the continent. 



In Uganda jiggers are ubiquitous ; Dr. Albert R. 

 Cook, of the Medical Mission, Mengo, states that they 

 appeared in Uganda in 1891, having apparently been 

 carried across Africa by Stanley's last expedition. 

 Sranley's men on that occasion did not actually enter 

 Uganda, but many Baganda who had been driven out 

 of their country by a revolution met with Stanley's 

 expedition and brought jiggers to Uganda. Following 

 the caravan route they slowly made their way down to 

 the coast, which they reached in 1899. Till the 

 natives realised the nature of this disease, jiggers 

 caused great damage, and the loss of many toes. 



This flea inhabits the dust of native huts : it is 

 somewhat smaller than the ordinary flea and possesses 



307 x 2 



