﻿THE 
  RELATIONS 
  OF 
  GLOSSINA 
  MORSITANS 
  AND 
  GAME. 
  11 
  

  

  appreciatively 
  attentive 
  to 
  a 
  human 
  visitor. 
  Such 
  conditions 
  are, 
  I 
  imagine, 
  fairly- 
  

   typical 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  gameless 
  fly 
  belts. 
  A 
  less 
  keen 
  observer 
  than 
  

   Neumann 
  might 
  very 
  well 
  have 
  overlooked 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  Competent 
  observers 
  such 
  as 
  Woosnam, 
  Yorke, 
  Bevan, 
  Lloyd, 
  Shircore, 
  etc., 
  

   are 
  unanimous 
  that 
  they 
  know 
  of 
  no 
  instance 
  where 
  morsitans 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  

   absence 
  of 
  big 
  game 
  (9). 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  possible, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  tsetse 
  of 
  a 
  belt 
  are 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  special 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  of 
  that 
  belt 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  distribution, 
  species 
  and 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  game. 
  

   In 
  a 
  district 
  where 
  bufMo 
  and 
  other 
  big 
  animals 
  are 
  numerous 
  these 
  will 
  be 
  most 
  

   easily 
  accessible 
  to 
  the 
  fly, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  grass 
  season. 
  The 
  tsetse 
  will 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  learn 
  to 
  depend 
  on 
  these 
  bigger 
  animals. 
  In 
  another 
  belt 
  the 
  regular 
  food 
  supply 
  

   will 
  be 
  the 
  smaller 
  antelopes, 
  baboons, 
  warthog 
  and 
  carnivores. 
  Any 
  cataclysmic 
  

   alteration 
  in 
  the 
  game 
  distribution 
  of 
  a 
  belt, 
  especially 
  if 
  it 
  occurred 
  at 
  the 
  critical 
  

   time 
  when 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  up, 
  might 
  well 
  be 
  seriously 
  detrimental 
  to 
  the 
  tsetse, 
  whereas 
  

   a 
  more 
  gradual 
  alteration 
  would 
  give 
  time 
  for 
  a 
  varying 
  degree 
  of 
  adjustment 
  to 
  the 
  

   new 
  conditions. 
  

  

  G. 
  palpalis 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  Lake 
  Victoria 
  often 
  shows 
  a 
  deliberate 
  preference 
  

   for 
  reptilian 
  over 
  mammalian 
  blood. 
  In 
  other 
  regions, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  

   of 
  the 
  crater 
  lakes 
  near 
  Lake 
  Albert 
  Edward, 
  crocodiles 
  are 
  absent 
  and 
  Varanus 
  

   rare, 
  and 
  the 
  palpalis 
  are 
  plainly 
  dependent 
  on 
  the 
  numerous 
  hippo 
  and 
  other 
  game 
  

   animals. 
  Evidence 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  independence 
  in 
  G. 
  morsitans 
  is 
  wanting. 
  The 
  

   smaller 
  mammals 
  in 
  morsitans 
  country, 
  though 
  doubtless 
  occasionally 
  fed 
  upon 
  

   by 
  the 
  fly, 
  will, 
  by 
  their 
  habits, 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  find, 
  especially 
  when 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  up. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  found 
  Varanus 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  Masindi 
  morsitans 
  belt, 
  though 
  there 
  

   were 
  no 
  fly 
  around 
  at 
  the 
  time. 
  The 
  extraordinary 
  partiality 
  of 
  G. 
  palpalis 
  for 
  this 
  

   saurian 
  suggests 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  fastidious 
  morsitans 
  feeding 
  upon 
  it 
  on 
  

   occasion, 
  and 
  this 
  fly 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  non- 
  mammalian 
  blood 
  in 
  nature. 
  

   In 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge, 
  however, 
  these 
  creatures 
  must 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  

   as 
  accessory 
  sources 
  of 
  food, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  general 
  opinion 
  of 
  experts 
  that 
  mammalian 
  

   blood 
  is 
  necessary 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  for 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  (Lloyd). 
  

  

  My 
  own 
  experience 
  of 
  morsitans, 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  Masindi 
  belt 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  dealt 
  

   with 
  later 
  on, 
  is 
  founded 
  on 
  visits 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  belts 
  in 
  " 
  German 
  " 
  East 
  Africa 
  

   under 
  active 
  service 
  conditions 
  : 
  — 
  (1) 
  The 
  great 
  fly 
  belt 
  on 
  the 
  Tabora 
  and 
  Mwanza 
  

   road 
  ; 
  (2) 
  the 
  Buzinza 
  area 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Mwanza 
  ; 
  (3) 
  the 
  Namirembe-Biharamulo 
  

   belt, 
  possibly 
  continuous 
  with 
  (2), 
  around 
  the 
  south-west 
  corner 
  of 
  Victoria 
  Nyanza 
  ; 
  

   (4) 
  between 
  Ikoma 
  and 
  the 
  Mara 
  River 
  and 
  E. 
  towards 
  Olgoss 
  ; 
  (5) 
  the 
  area 
  along 
  

   the 
  Kagera 
  River, 
  near 
  the 
  south 
  frontier 
  of 
  Uganda. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  these 
  belts 
  game 
  is 
  common, 
  excepting 
  the 
  first, 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  spent 
  about 
  14 
  

   days 
  at 
  Shinyanga, 
  well 
  within 
  the 
  fly 
  zone, 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  game, 
  excepting 
  dikdik, 
  

   was 
  rare, 
  having 
  recently 
  migrated 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  water. 
  In 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  belts 
  

   was 
  buffalo 
  found 
  within 
  many 
  miles 
  of 
  my 
  camps. 
  The 
  fauna 
  observed 
  in 
  each 
  

   case 
  respectively 
  comprised 
  : 
  — 
  (1) 
  Zebra, 
  Thomson's 
  gazelle, 
  giraffe, 
  duiker, 
  dikdik 
  

   (plentiful), 
  hyaena, 
  roan, 
  impala, 
  carnivores 
  ; 
  (2) 
  sable, 
  topi, 
  reedbuck, 
  kudu 
  (few), 
  

   hyaena, 
  duiker, 
  roan, 
  impala, 
  zebra, 
  dikdik, 
  giraffe, 
  carnivores 
  ; 
  (3) 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  

   in 
  (2), 
  plus 
  rhino 
  and 
  dikdik 
  (very 
  common) 
  ; 
  (4) 
  Thomson's 
  and 
  Grant's 
  gazelles, 
  

  

  