MOSQUITOES 293 



or transmitter of yellow fever, and the culex, 

 which is accused of carrying the germ of dengue 

 fever and the filaria of elephantiasis. 



The anophelene, or malarial mosquito, which 

 is small and neat in appearance, looks very like a 

 fine nail or spiked seed when sitting on a wall, and 

 in fact, though well acquainted with these insects, 

 I on one occasion mistook some two hundred 

 anophelenes, which had clustered in the ridge of 

 my tent, for the dark spiked grass seed which 

 sticks to clothing in Africa. This happened in the 

 Loando-Coanza watershed, on the Longue River 

 and in sable country ; and any sable hunter who 

 goes as far north as this river must take every 

 anti-malarial precaution or be prepared to suffer 

 from fever. 



The neat-shaped anophelene breeds usually 

 in clean and natural water sources, while the hunch- 

 backed stegomyia and culex are content with any 

 kind of domestic water deposit, hoAvever dirty or 

 small. 



The stegomyia and culex are almost universal 

 in Angola, the anophelene is also widespread below 

 4500 feet ; I personally found it at various points 

 in the northern plateau, very numerous in parts 

 on the Loando-Coanz.a watershed, and present in 

 the lower plateaux between the central and 

 southern Angolan railways. It was not found on 

 the higher plateaux of Benguella and Lubango, 

 but, though probably rare here, I would not be 

 surprised if it was present in small numbers in the 

 rains. 



In this open undulating country it should be 



