﻿72 
  RUPERT 
  W. 
  JACK. 
  

  

  most 
  abundant 
  at 
  points 
  where 
  game 
  congregates 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  dry 
  

   season, 
  and 
  the 
  advance 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  standstill 
  at 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  

   point 
  where 
  the 
  country 
  beyond 
  is 
  sparsely 
  inhabited 
  by 
  game. 
  

  

  These 
  statements 
  call 
  for 
  some 
  amplification. 
  A 
  glance 
  at 
  Map 
  1 
  shows 
  that 
  during 
  

   the 
  years 
  immediately 
  following 
  the 
  rinderpest 
  epizootic 
  in 
  1896, 
  the 
  fly 
  was 
  confined 
  

   to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Manzituba 
  Vlei.* 
  From 
  this 
  vlei 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  roughly 
  S.S.W. 
  lies 
  

   a 
  practically 
  unbroken 
  stretch 
  to 
  the 
  Shangani 
  River, 
  in 
  which 
  game 
  is 
  now 
  present 
  in 
  

   almost 
  primitive 
  abundance, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  map 
  indicates, 
  a 
  notable 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  

   fly 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  along 
  this 
  channel, 
  and 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  progress. 
  In 
  a 
  direction 
  more 
  

   S.W., 
  however, 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  belt 
  has 
  been 
  at 
  a 
  standstill 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  Native 
  Commissioner's 
  camp 
  at 
  Kariyangwe 
  since 
  1907. 
  West 
  of 
  this 
  

   station 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  notable 
  for 
  its 
  rocky 
  character 
  and 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  antelope, 
  

   and 
  it 
  appears 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  area 
  between 
  this 
  point 
  and 
  the 
  Zambesi 
  River 
  

   never 
  has 
  been 
  fly 
  country.f 
  At 
  the 
  point 
  marked 
  Manjolo 
  on 
  the 
  Nogola 
  River 
  

   game, 
  especially 
  eland, 
  is 
  moderately 
  abundant. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  fly 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  may 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  unsuit- 
  

   able 
  vegetation 
  or 
  other 
  causes 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  numerous 
  spots 
  where 
  the 
  vegetation 
  is 
  

   to 
  all 
  appearances 
  quite 
  suitable, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that, 
  

   where 
  game 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  abundant, 
  tsetse 
  can 
  exist 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  although 
  the 
  

   vegetation 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  afford 
  ideal 
  conditions. 
  The 
  country 
  lying 
  immediately 
  

   to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  Mzola 
  River, 
  for 
  instance, 
  is 
  very 
  open, 
  being 
  

   in 
  fact 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Matobolo 
  Flats, 
  the 
  native 
  name 
  " 
  Matobolo 
  " 
  signifying 
  an 
  

   open 
  plain. 
  Dotted 
  about 
  the 
  plain 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  termite 
  mounds, 
  which 
  

   bear 
  stunted 
  trees 
  of 
  an 
  evergreen 
  habit. 
  In 
  crossing 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  these 
  flats 
  in 
  1916 
  

   the 
  writer 
  was 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  G. 
  morsitans 
  abundant, 
  sheltering 
  in 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  

   the 
  stunted 
  trees 
  and 
  darting 
  out 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  passer-by. 
  Game 
  is 
  plentiful, 
  and 
  

   certainly 
  constitutes 
  the 
  only 
  apparent 
  source 
  of 
  blood 
  to 
  the 
  flies, 
  which 
  in 
  hot 
  

   weather 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  extremely 
  confined 
  in 
  their 
  range. 
  It 
  would 
  appear 
  therefore 
  

   that 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  extent 
  of 
  shade 
  will 
  serve 
  G. 
  morsitans, 
  provided 
  that 
  living 
  blood 
  

   is 
  sufficiently 
  plentiful 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity. 
  Where 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  is 
  more 
  

   uncertain, 
  greater 
  freedom 
  of 
  movement 
  is 
  doubtless 
  a 
  necessity. 
  We 
  cannot 
  

   therefore 
  attribute 
  the 
  unsuitability 
  to 
  tsetse 
  of 
  certain 
  tracts 
  of 
  country 
  exclusively 
  

   to 
  small 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  vegetation, 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  apparent 
  to 
  the 
  eye. 
  We 
  

   must 
  look 
  for 
  some 
  combination 
  of 
  factors 
  in 
  which 
  facilities 
  for 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  regular 
  

   meals 
  are 
  probably 
  very 
  important. 
  

  

  The 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  Sebungwe 
  belt 
  to 
  the 
  S.E. 
  and 
  E. 
  calls 
  for 
  little 
  comment, 
  

   as 
  the 
  country 
  involved 
  is 
  all 
  well 
  stocked 
  with 
  game. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  is 
  not 
  familiar 
  with 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  belt. 
  Fly 
  

   was 
  located 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  Sengwe 
  River 
  in 
  1913, 
  and 
  this 
  belt 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  

   isolated. 
  It 
  is 
  possible, 
  however, 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  in 
  reality 
  have 
  been 
  connected 
  with 
  

   the 
  main 
  belt 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Sinatchungwe's 
  kraal. 
  In 
  any 
  case, 
  reports 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  On 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  Val 
  Gielgud, 
  formerly 
  Native 
  Commissioner 
  for 
  this 
  

   district. 
  

  

  f 
  In 
  1868 
  James 
  Chapman 
  remarked 
  on 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  fly 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  

   Zambesi 
  between 
  the 
  Gwaai 
  confluence 
  and 
  a 
  point 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  Sebungwe 
  

   River 
  confluence, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  miles. 
  This 
  strip 
  contains 
  no 
  game 
  except 
  a 
  

   small 
  variety 
  of 
  duiker. 
  — 
  " 
  Monograph 
  of 
  the 
  Tsetse 
  Flies," 
  E. 
  A. 
  Austen, 
  p. 
  143. 
  

  

  