164 AMMONIA AS A EEMEDY FOR FLY-DISEASE. 



assert that this saved them, but I have every reason to 

 believe so. Nine or more of our oxen died, but not a 

 .single horse " (p. 10). 



Some of the Jiilh near the Shasha River, Mataheleland, 

 'known to he infested hi/ Tsetse (p. 56). 



" The Tsetse is easily known by the manner in which 

 he folds his wings one over the other like a pair of 

 scissors, as we have before observed, giving him an 

 appearance of narrowness and length, differing from other 

 flies which settle with wings half expanded ; there are 

 some which close their wings at an angle of forty-five like 

 the roof of a house, but none of these are the Tsetse " 

 (p. 57). 



Tsetse-fly on the Madoutsie Biver, Mataheleland.* — " On 

 Monday [October] 23rd [1871], we reached the wagons at 

 5 P.M., and sent word to have the oxen kept away till 

 after dark, we set fire to the grass and to heaps of rubbish 

 to drive away the Tsetse, a few of which we saw. Gee 

 had seen a fly upon one of the horses ; he touched the 

 place with ammonia and the animal started with pain — a 

 sign that there was a puncture and that the ammonia had 

 entered it. I had about a pound of carbonate of ammonia, 

 and, dissolving the greater part in warm water, I had all 

 four of the horses washed. We observed some of them 

 flinch as if the remedy had found its way into punctures, 

 and it speaks well for our experiment, that up to the 

 present time, so far as I am aware, not one of those horses 

 has died. I had not enough to wash the oxen, but I 

 sprmkled them with tar-water in hope of keeping the fly 

 off, but without effect " (p. 61). 



Tsetse-fly on the Limpopo. — " We crossed [the Limpopo] 

 and outspanned [on the south side] on a place f reported 

 clear of fly, but after Mr. Biles had killed and brought 

 home a pullah, we saw a " fly " on Jewell's hat, but failed 

 to catch it. We brought up all the cattle and horses 

 immediately and rigidly examined them, tied up the 

 horses, posted a kafir to watch every insect that approached 

 them, and fired several shots to recall Gee ; in a short 

 time he came followed by a kafir bringing another pullah, 



* " Last outspan on Macloutsie River, lat. 21° 59' 5", long. 28° 44' E." 

 t "Outspan on Limpopo, lat. 22° 35' 31", long. 28° 41' 10" E., height 

 1,935 feet." 



