14 THE SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF 



North-Eastern Rhodesia, and in German and Portuguese East 

 Africa,' he has * come to the conclusion that there is no evidence 

 worth serious consideration to show that tsetse depend upon or are 

 distributed by any description of wild game.' As regards British 

 Central Africa, Sir Alfred Sharpe gave instances to prove that 

 facts in this country are not in accordance with Mr. Selous's 

 theory that ' tsetse depend on buffalo for their existence, and that 

 if the buffalo are killed or dispersed fly will disappear. ' The most 

 important statement in this letter, however, is one to which all 

 those who are competent to express an opinion upon the subject 

 will give an unqualified assent. * The conclusions I have arrived 

 at,' wrote Sir Alfred, * are that tsetse require a definite description 

 of country, and that they are never found outside the limits of the 

 gjround which suits their w^ants — game or no game, buffalo or no 

 buffalo.' Other lengthy letters from Mr. Selous and Sir Alfred 

 Sharpe subsequently appeared,^ but in the main the correspon- 

 dence resolved itself into a discussion upon the old theme of the 

 alleged dependence of the species of tsetse-fly known as Glossma 

 ??2or.si/ans . upon the buffalo. 



It is hoped that the foregoing rHume of the recent newspaper 

 campaign will enable those who may not have closely followed the 

 arguments to understand the present position of the tsetse and 

 big-game question. The vital points at issue will now be dealt 

 with in the light of the most recent knowledge on the subject. 



The Food of Tsetse-flies. 



In a letter written in September 1901 by Mr. F. J. Jackson, 

 C.B. (now Commissioner of the East Africa Protectorate), to the 

 Marquess of Lansdowne (at that time His Majesty's Principal 

 Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs), the opinion was expressed 

 that * the tsetse is, like the mosquito, only a blood-sucker by pre- 

 dilection.' As was pointed out by the author some time ago in 

 another place, the meaning of this phrase would appear to be that, 

 in default of blood, which they prefer, tsetse-flies can continue to 

 subsist on the juices of plants." Mr. Jackson's view now seems 

 to have been adopted by Sir Alfred Sharpe, who recently asserted 

 his belief that, although ' Tsetse . . . when it has the oppor- 

 tunity sucks the blood of all such animals as it can get at in tracts 

 of country in which it exists, . . . blood is an exceptional diet 

 (as in the case of the mosquito). ' ^ For the sake of big game and 

 the peace of mind of all who have the welfare of the wild fauna of 

 Tropical Africa at heart, it is much to be wished that this pleasing 

 opinion as to the natural food of tsetse-flies could be substantiated. 

 It is, however, impossible, and indeed worse than useless, to 



1 The Field, October 26, November 2 and 9, 1907. 



■'- Vide Austen, Mmiogravh of the Tsetse-// ies (1903), p. 297. 



3 The Field, November 2, 1907, p. 793. 



