4.05: BIG GAME SHOOTING 
affected, but all domesticated ones are, save the ass and the 
goat, and the calf as long as it sucks. Man escapes scot free. 
The flies settle on and bite him sharply, but no results follow. 
Supposing the poison to be alkaline, is it not possible that 
the creic—an acid known to be present in the blood of all wild 
animals and to disappear as they become domesticated—may 
act as an antidote, more especially as man, on whom the 
poison is innocuous, shares with the donkey, &c., this prophy- 
lactic acid? This pest, like all others, is held in check by an 
antagonist, one of the ichneumons—a rakish-looking creature 
which catches and sucks it out on the wing, dropping the 
empty cases much as the locust bird does the locusts. 
These tsétsé have caused me sad searchings of heart. 
The Geographical Society of Paris honoured me with their 
medal, ‘pour la découverte du lac ’Ngami,’ and I, in acknow- 
ledging their highly valued distinction, sent them a short sketch 
of the country through which we had passed, and a small bottle 
of the flies, with an account of their habits, habitat, and the 
poisonous nature of their bite. This account—probably from 
my confused style—was entirely misunderstood, and when the 
copy of the Proceedings of the Society reached me I found 
I had been made to attribute the death of a native chief, 
Sebitoani, to the poison of these insects, and also to state 
that the oxen were maddened by their attacks, whereas the 
poor things took their deathbites quite calmly—with a whisk 
of their tails, as is their custom with other flies—and, as I 
have already stated, human beings suffer noill. I have tried to 
correct this impression, but fear I may not have succeeded. 
When I came home I happened to meet Dr. (now Sir 
Richard) Quain, the great toxicologist, and by him to be in- 
troduced to Dr. Spence, to whom I told the story of the 
tsétsé, the result being that I was invited to attend a meeting 
of the Entomological Society. Doubting my power of giving 
any clear account before such an august assembly by word 
of mouth, I wrote the few particulars I had to communicate. 
When I entered, rather late, a gentleman was explaining the 
ar ts 
