14 



Grassi, who was the first to discover the metamorphoses of any 

 species of the genus, and two years ago published the results of his 

 researches in the shape of an admirably illustrated memoir on the 

 external and internal morphology and life-history of the South 

 European Phlebotomus papatasii, Scop.* Within the last few 

 months Grassi's results have been confirmed by the observations 

 of Hewlett in India. f 



According to Theobald, J Dr. Cuthbert Christy found the larvae 

 of a species of Phlebotomus, stated by him to be very common in 

 Uganda "in water-closets "(sic), in an "old chattie containing almost 

 black infusion of leaves and grass." Possibly however this was 

 exceptional, and in any case, in the present state of our knowledge, 

 the true breeding-places of African species of Phlebotomus can only 

 be inferred from what is known as to the breeding-habits of species 

 of the genus elsewhere. Even on this head the available information 

 leaves much to be desired. Grassi, who in spite of great exertions 

 was only able to find a very small number of larvae of Ph. papatasii, 

 although the species is abundant in Italy, met with the specimens 

 obtained by him only in dirty cellars and dark and damp places 

 containing building materials and rubbish of various kinds. He 

 thinks that house-drains afford especially favourable breeding-places 

 for this species, and sums up his conclusions by saying that : 

 " The larvae live in dark and damp places, amid all kinds of rubbish ; 

 they prefer underground situations, such as cellars, and more 

 especially the parts of drains that cannot be reached by anything 

 more than splashes of dirty water. " Hewlett, whose assistant, 

 Mr. P. G. Patel, " succeeded in obtaining two larvae, one from a small 

 open drain channel, and the other from partially dried mud in a 

 channel leading from a well-reservoir," says that : " The larvae 

 [of Indian species] live in damp but not very wet earth, and their 



* Cf. Battista Grassi, " Ricerche sui Flebotomi," M emorie della Societa italiana delle 

 Scienze (delta dei XL.), Ser. 3a, T. XIV., pp. 353-394, Tav. I. -IV. (1907). 



f Cf. F. M. Hewlett, op. cit. 



f Reports of the Sleeping Sickness Commission, No. III., p. 39 (London : Harrison 

 and Sons, 1903). 



Grassi, loc. cit., p. 385. 



