﻿382 
  W. 
  B. 
  JOHNSON 
  AND 
  LLEWELLYN 
  LLOYD. 
  

  

  2. 
  Glossina 
  tachinoides. 
  

  

  (a) 
  Habits. 
  

  

  As 
  already 
  indicated, 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  tachinoides 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  considerable 
  interest. 
  

   It 
  attacks 
  man 
  with 
  great 
  avidity, 
  attempting 
  to 
  feed 
  almost 
  invariably 
  on 
  the 
  

   ankles 
  or 
  on 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  when 
  the 
  victim 
  is 
  stooping 
  or 
  

   sitting. 
  It 
  similarly 
  attacks 
  the 
  fetlocks 
  of 
  quadruped 
  mammals, 
  which 
  are 
  seen 
  

   to 
  be 
  constantly 
  stamping 
  in 
  a 
  tachinoides 
  haunt. 
  G. 
  palpalis 
  has 
  this 
  habit 
  of 
  

   low 
  attack 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  extent, 
  and 
  morsitans 
  not 
  at 
  all. 
  G. 
  tachinoides 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  

   the 
  most 
  wary 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  species 
  and 
  can 
  fill 
  itself 
  with 
  great 
  rapidity. 
  It 
  rarely 
  

   takes 
  food 
  into 
  its 
  crop, 
  whereas 
  morsitans, 
  if 
  given 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  an 
  undis- 
  

   turbed 
  meal, 
  almost 
  invariably 
  fills 
  both 
  gut 
  and 
  crop. 
  When 
  replete 
  it 
  always 
  

   seems 
  to 
  fly 
  upwards 
  and 
  settles 
  on 
  a 
  trunk 
  or 
  branch 
  to 
  drain 
  off 
  the 
  excess 
  of 
  

   fluid. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  active 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  hours, 
  but 
  attacks 
  before 
  sunrise 
  and 
  after 
  sunset 
  

   and 
  sometimes 
  during 
  the 
  night. 
  

  

  (b) 
  Fauna 
  in 
  tachinoides 
  Haunts. 
  

  

  In 
  considering 
  the 
  fauna 
  with 
  which 
  this 
  fly 
  comes 
  into 
  contact 
  its 
  haunts 
  may 
  

   be 
  divided 
  into 
  three 
  sections. 
  

  

  Firstly, 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  rivers, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Niger 
  and 
  the 
  Benue, 
  it 
  

   has 
  access 
  to 
  Varanus 
  and 
  to 
  crocodiles, 
  but 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  latter 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  extent 
  

   than 
  obtains 
  with 
  palpalis, 
  since 
  where 
  tachinoides 
  is 
  most 
  prevalent, 
  on 
  the 
  mid- 
  

   Benue, 
  these 
  animals 
  very 
  definitely 
  avoid 
  the 
  shaded 
  banks 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season 
  and 
  

   almost 
  invariably 
  bask 
  on 
  the 
  bare 
  sand-banks 
  far 
  out 
  in 
  mid-stream, 
  out 
  of 
  reach 
  

   of 
  the 
  fly. 
  The 
  smaller 
  antelopes 
  and 
  pig 
  are 
  generally 
  prevalent, 
  together 
  with 
  

   kob 
  (Cobus 
  kob). 
  Larger 
  antelopes 
  and 
  buffalo 
  are 
  present, 
  but 
  not 
  numerous, 
  as 
  

   they 
  keep 
  well 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  bank. 
  Hippopotamus 
  are 
  present 
  locally 
  and 
  

   the 
  manatee 
  is 
  rather 
  numerous 
  in 
  places, 
  but 
  its 
  habits 
  are 
  very 
  obscure. 
  Baboons 
  

   are 
  extremely 
  numerous 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  banks 
  probably 
  outnumber 
  any 
  other 
  

   large 
  mammal. 
  There 
  is 
  close 
  contact 
  with 
  man 
  in 
  fishing 
  creeks 
  and 
  where 
  wood 
  

   cutting 
  is 
  carried 
  on. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  cattle, 
  and 
  the 
  few 
  sheep 
  and 
  goats 
  are 
  confined 
  

   to 
  the 
  villages, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  traffic 
  of 
  sheep 
  and 
  goats 
  by 
  canoe 
  down-stream 
  

   on 
  the 
  Benue 
  and 
  some 
  food 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  these 
  at 
  halting 
  places. 
  

  

  Secondly, 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  which 
  contain 
  pools 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  shaded 
  

   parts 
  of 
  non-permanent 
  streams, 
  where 
  the 
  population 
  is 
  scanty, 
  Varanus 
  is 
  generally 
  

   present, 
  but 
  crocodiles 
  only 
  in 
  isolated 
  cases. 
  Game 
  animals, 
  large 
  and 
  small, 
  are 
  

   always 
  present 
  in 
  inverse 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  native 
  hunting. 
  Pigs 
  and 
  

   baboons 
  are 
  nearly 
  always 
  present. 
  Cattle 
  are 
  absent 
  and 
  sheep 
  and 
  goats 
  are 
  rarely 
  

   available 
  except 
  at 
  river 
  crossings. 
  Contact 
  with 
  man 
  is 
  variable, 
  but 
  generally 
  

   slight. 
  In 
  the 
  forest 
  at 
  Mashiwashi, 
  which 
  comes 
  into 
  this 
  class, 
  and 
  where 
  tachi- 
  

   noides 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  living 
  under 
  optimum 
  conditions, 
  judging 
  by 
  its 
  numbers 
  and 
  

   individual 
  size, 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  crocodiles 
  or 
  water 
  Varanus 
  (in 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  at 
  any 
  

   rate), 
  no 
  baboons 
  and 
  no 
  carnivorous 
  animals 
  larger 
  than 
  a 
  wild 
  cat. 
  Small 
  monkeys 
  

   of 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  species 
  were 
  numerous. 
  There 
  were 
  also 
  present 
  bushbuck 
  and 
  red- 
  

   flanked 
  and 
  common 
  duiker 
  in 
  some 
  numbers, 
  while 
  warthog, 
  hartebeeste 
  and 
  roan 
  

   antelope 
  moved 
  sometimes 
  along 
  the 
  outskirts. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  village 
  in 
  the 
  

   heart 
  of 
  the 
  forest 
  inhabited 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  the 
  natives 
  living 
  away 
  on 
  farms 
  

   for 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  domestic 
  animals. 
  Among 
  316 
  flies 
  dissected 
  

   here 
  no 
  non-mammalian 
  blood 
  was 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  42 
  guts 
  in 
  which 
  blood 
  was 
  recognisable. 
  

  

  Thirdly, 
  there 
  are 
  the 
  shaded 
  pools 
  and 
  small 
  rivers 
  in 
  the 
  densely 
  populated 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  be 
  considered. 
  Varanus 
  is 
  present, 
  but 
  no 
  crocodiles, 
  except 
  

   in 
  isolated 
  instances, 
  of 
  which 
  one 
  was 
  encountered 
  near 
  Gwaram 
  — 
  an 
  extraordinary 
  

   deep 
  pool, 
  farmed 
  on 
  both 
  sides, 
  where 
  these 
  reptiles 
  abounded. 
  Game 
  animals 
  and 
  

   pigs 
  are 
  reduced 
  to 
  negligible 
  proportions, 
  while 
  the 
  larger 
  antelopes 
  are 
  totally 
  

  

  

  