THE WILD FAUNA OF THE EMP1EE 



43 



; THE TSETSE ELY AS A DISEASE-CAEBIEK. 



BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA. 



' The Big Game Question. 



' To the Editor of the Morning Post. 



' Sir, — May I crave your indulgence in order to make a few 

 remarks in reply to a letter on the above subject in your issue of 

 the 1 1th inst. by Mr. Ealph A. Durand, in which the writer 

 assumes that the protection of big game " involves protection of 

 the disease-spreading tsetse fly " ? Eor several years past I have 

 paid special attention to the tsetse fly question, and should your 

 correspondent care to consult my Monograph of the Tsetse Flies 

 (1908) he will find several pages devoted to the " Association of 

 Tsetse with Big Game," as also copies of a number of letters 

 written by various authorities to Lord Lansdowne (then Foreign 

 Secretary) in 1901 on the subject of the supposed connection 

 between tsetse and buffalo. Although it is perfectly true that in 

 South Africa the extermination of big game has resulted in the 

 disappearance of tsetse from many localities in which they 

 formerly abounded, in other parts of Africa, where other species 

 of the tsetse occur, the flies seem to be less closely associated with 

 wild animals. As a general rule, as stated in my book (page 7), 

 tsetse are " confined to damp, hot, low-lying localities, either on 

 the borders of rivers or lakes, or at any rate not far from water. 

 Cover in the shape of more or less thick bush or forest is essential, 

 and the fly is not found on open plains." Writing from "The 

 Residency, Zomba, British Central Africa Protectorate," to Lord 

 Lansdowne, on September 30, 1901, Mr. (now Sir) Alfred Sharpe, 

 his Majesty's Commissioner and Consul-General, said : " Tsetse 

 are not found (in British Central Africa) in open plains, although 

 such plains may have large quantities of game on them, and in 

 spite of the fact that at the edges of the plains, where forest 

 abounds, tsetse are found. It would appear, therefore, that what 

 regulates the presence of tsetse fly is the description of the country 

 almost as much as the abundance or scarcity of game." Conse- 

 quently it is more than doubtful whether, as your correspondent 

 appears to suppose, the Elephant Marsh in British Central Africa 

 acts as a tsetse fly as well as a game reserve. It ought not to be 

 difficult to prevent the latter and the surrounding districts from 



