CURRENT NOTES. 157 



suitable localities on arrival, but so far there is no evidence to show that they 

 have actually succeeded in establishing themselves. We learn, however, from 

 Mr. Van Dine, of the Audubon Park Laboratory, New Orleans, that a 

 further consignment of these insects is shortly to be sent over to Algeria, and 

 the result of the experiment will be awaited with interest ; for anything that 

 will effectively diminish the numbers of the abundant African Tabanid^ will 

 be of practical utility. If the American wasps fail to establish ihemselves, it 

 may be recalled that there are two allied species with similar habits in Southern 

 Europe ; for the food of Bemhex rostrata, F., and B. Udentata, V. L., is 

 stated by Fabre to consist almost entirely of species of Tahanus. Moreover, 

 we at present know practically nothing as to the food-habits of the various 

 species of Bemhex and Stkns which occur in Tropical Africa. Doubtless 

 some of these will be found to prey on Tabanid^e, and if so, it would be 

 important for local observers to ascertain how far their presence operates as a 

 check upon these blood-thirsty flies. 



It may be well to draw attention to the fact that among some parasitic 

 worms recently brought home from Nyasaland by Dr. J. B. Davey, there was 

 one species wliich had been taken from the stomachs of various calves, which 

 had died from some undetermined cause. These worms have been kindly 

 identified by Dr. Hobert T. Leiper as being Hcemonchus contortus^ and he adds 

 that "these parasites are a very common source of verminous gastritis, 

 pernicious anaemia and death in young calves. They are exceedingly difficult 

 to eradicate, and the United States Bureau of Animal Industry has devoted a 

 considerable amount of attention to the subject of recent years." 



The recent discovery of still further cases of sleeping sickness in the lower 

 Luang wa Valley, in North-Eastern Rhodesia, at a distance of more than 

 200 miles from the nearest Glossina palpalis area, indicates the necessity for 

 a prompt and thorough investigation into all the possible sources of infection 

 in that vicinity. The question of these sporadic cases of sleeping sickness in 

 Nyasaland and the southern parts of Northern Rhodesia is dealt with by 

 Dr. A. G. Bagshawe in the current number of the ' Sleeping Sickness 

 Bulletin' (no. 18), and he there states that " in these countries during the 

 past twelve months trypanosomiasis has been detected in twenty-eight persons, 

 some of whom had certainly never visited a palpalis area. Of the twenty- 

 eight, six were Europeans whose movements could be traced with exactness/' 

 For more than one reason, it is very improbable that G. palpalis is actually 

 present in the suspected areas and has escaped observation, and we must 

 therefore be prepared to contemplate the probability that some other species 

 is capable of transmitting the disease. Dr. Bagshawe tentatively suggests 

 the possibility that the power of transmission is not confined to some particular 

 species, but that climate and altitude may be the real controlling factors. In 



