﻿18 
  

  

  DR. 
  H. 
  LYNDHURST 
  DUKE. 
  

  

  column 
  of 
  the 
  table 
  represent 
  the 
  rainfall 
  taken 
  some 
  15 
  miles 
  north-west 
  of 
  Masindi 
  

   in 
  a 
  still 
  more 
  hilly 
  and 
  much 
  forested 
  district 
  with 
  a 
  proportionally 
  heavier 
  rainfall. 
  

   In 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  exceptional 
  drought 
  in 
  November 
  1917 
  the 
  grass 
  tires 
  of 
  the 
  

   1917 
  hot 
  season 
  began 
  early 
  in 
  December, 
  somewhat 
  sooner 
  than 
  usual. 
  A 
  severe 
  

   famine 
  prevailed 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  months 
  of 
  1918 
  throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  Province 
  

   of 
  Bunyoro. 
  

  

  Masindi 
  Area 
  Rainfall. 
  

  

  

  1914. 
  

  

  1915. 
  

  

  1916. 
  

  

  1917. 
  

  

  1918. 
  

  

  

  A. 
  

  

  B. 
  

  

  A. 
  

  

  B. 
  

  

  A. 
  

  

  B. 
  

  

  A. 
  

  

  B. 
  

  

  A. 
  

  

  B. 
  

  

  January 
  

  

  2-31 
  

  

  1-00 
  

  

  1-53 
  

  

  0-84 
  

  

  o-oo 
  

  

  o-oo 
  

  

  4-82 
  

  

  3-79 
  

  

  000 
  

  

  0-00 
  

  

  February 
  

  

  1-45 
  

  

  2-97 
  

  

  2-99 
  

  

  1-14 
  

  

  3-96 
  

  

  4-71 
  

  

  5-59 
  

  

  728 
  

  

  0-00 
  

  

  0-42 
  

  

  March 
  

  

  417 
  

  

  4-61 
  

  

  6-97 
  

  

  3-93 
  

  

  5-12 
  

  

  5-01 
  

  

  1-23 
  

  

  1-71 
  

  

  2-66 
  

  

  4'75 
  

  

  April 
  

  

  3-80 
  

  

  3-80 
  

  

  4'37 
  

  

  603 
  

  

  7-48 
  

  

  7-16 
  

  

  4-96 
  

  

  6-87 
  

  

  10-06 
  

  

  

  May 
  

  

  6-75 
  

  

  8*25 
  

  

  6-45 
  

  

  8-10 
  

  

  9-93 
  

  

  576 
  

  

  8'65 
  

  

  7-09 
  

  

  

  

  June 
  

  

  4-36 
  

  

  7-09 
  

  

  3-88 
  

  

  4-54 
  

  

  2*44 
  

  

  4-56 
  

  

  7-04 
  

  

  4-45 
  

  

  

  

  July 
  

  

  346 
  

  

  6'70 
  

  

  257 
  

  

  2-00 
  

  

  0-56 
  

  

  0-88 
  

  

  1-49 
  

  

  1-33 
  

  

  

  

  August 
  

  

  3-68 
  

  

  3-82 
  

  

  2-05 
  

  

  2-26 
  

  

  5-20 
  

  

  5'52 
  

  

  3-38 
  

  

  5-00 
  

  

  

  

  September 
  

  

  7-40 
  

  

  6-74 
  

  

  6*14 
  

  

  6*75 
  

  

  5-94 
  

  

  10-79 
  

  

  11-85 
  

  

  6-80 
  

  

  

  

  October 
  

  

  6-00 
  

  

  5*10 
  

  

  6*89 
  

  

  9-39 
  

  

  8-29 
  

  

  10-58 
  

  

  7-51 
  

  

  7-75 
  

  

  

  

  November 
  

  

  907 
  

  

  9'82 
  

  

  3-58 
  

  

  600 
  

  

  3-80 
  

  

  4-50 
  

  

  0-80 
  

  

  1-46 
  

  

  

  

  December 
  

  

  1-33 
  

  

  0-78 
  

  

  2-92 
  

  

  2-50 
  

  

  2-19 
  

  

  2-00 
  

  

  4-17 
  

  

  1-99 
  

  

  

  

  The 
  column 
  A 
  shows 
  the 
  rainfall 
  at 
  Masindi, 
  and 
  B 
  the 
  rainfall 
  at 
  a 
  spot 
  15 
  miles 
  

  

  north-west 
  of 
  Masindi. 
  

  

  In 
  normal 
  years 
  the 
  grass 
  fires 
  begin 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  December 
  and 
  extend 
  through 
  

   January 
  into 
  February. 
  The 
  big 
  rains 
  begin 
  in 
  March. 
  The 
  grass 
  is 
  burnt 
  some- 
  

   what 
  irregularly, 
  but 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  hot 
  season 
  and 
  its 
  fires 
  is 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   grass 
  in 
  the 
  fly 
  belt 
  is 
  burnt 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  the 
  smaller 
  shrubs 
  severely 
  scorched. 
  

   Growing 
  trees 
  are 
  hardly 
  affected 
  ; 
  fallen 
  trunks 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  destroyed, 
  often 
  

   smouldering 
  for 
  days. 
  The 
  grass 
  grows 
  rapidly 
  after 
  the 
  onset 
  of 
  the 
  rains, 
  and 
  

   in 
  July 
  and 
  August 
  has 
  reached 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  6-8 
  feet 
  in 
  many 
  parts. 
  

  

  Conclusions. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  game 
  species 
  available 
  to 
  the 
  fly 
  in 
  the 
  Masindi 
  belt, 
  warthog, 
  bushbuck, 
  

   duiker 
  and 
  carnivores 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  most 
  important, 
  considering 
  the 
  belt 
  

   as 
  a 
  whole. 
  Elephant 
  and 
  buffalo 
  come 
  and 
  go 
  ; 
  hartebeest 
  and 
  waterbuck 
  are 
  

   local 
  in 
  their 
  range, 
  especially 
  the 
  latter 
  ; 
  the 
  kob 
  and 
  reedbuck 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  plains 
  

   sometimes 
  encroach 
  upon 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  scrub, 
  but 
  are 
  probably 
  seldom 
  bitten 
  ; 
  

   and 
  there 
  are, 
  I 
  believe, 
  no 
  dikdik 
  in 
  this 
  area. 
  

  

  In 
  Bugungu 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  similar, 
  except 
  that 
  elephant 
  and 
  waterbuck 
  are 
  

   much 
  more 
  numerous, 
  and 
  hippo 
  from 
  the 
  Nile 
  and 
  Lake 
  Albert 
  roam 
  far 
  inland. 
  

  

  Fiske 
  (13), 
  discussing 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  Masindi 
  belt 
  fly, 
  applies 
  the 
  principle, 
  

   established 
  almost 
  beyond 
  doubt 
  for 
  G. 
  palpalis, 
  that 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  females 
  

   among 
  the 
  active 
  flies 
  caught 
  is 
  a 
  direct 
  index 
  to 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  food 
  animals. 
  

   He 
  writes 
  that 
  " 
  The 
  flies 
  in 
  this 
  belt 
  are 
  well 
  fed 
  during 
  April, 
  May, 
  and 
  a 
  portion 
  

   of 
  June, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June 
  and 
  in 
  July 
  begin 
  to 
  find 
  difficulty 
  in 
  

   obtaining 
  sufficient 
  food. 
  The 
  percentage 
  of 
  females 
  caught 
  rises, 
  and 
  coincidently 
  

  

  