﻿TSETSE 
  FLY 
  IN 
  SOUTHERN 
  RHODESIA, 
  1918. 
  73 
  

  

  Government 
  officials 
  and 
  hunters 
  indicate 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  position 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  ; 
  

   but 
  whereas 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  Sengwe 
  is 
  heavily 
  infested, 
  the 
  narrow 
  neck 
  joining 
  

   the 
  two 
  belts 
  contains 
  but 
  little 
  fly, 
  and 
  mules, 
  at 
  least, 
  still 
  pass 
  through 
  with 
  apparent 
  

   impunity. 
  A 
  considerable 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  belt 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  Sengwe 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  Zambesi 
  is 
  also 
  reported. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Umniati 
  Belt. 
  The 
  history 
  of 
  this 
  area 
  is 
  of 
  peculiar 
  interest. 
  In 
  1896-7 
  

   it 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  shrunk 
  to 
  very 
  small 
  dimensions, 
  but 
  the 
  exact 
  position 
  at 
  that 
  

   time 
  is 
  somewhat 
  obscure. 
  Subsequently 
  the 
  belt 
  extended, 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  other 
  

   fly 
  areas 
  in 
  the 
  territory 
  and, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  added, 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  considerable 
  quan- 
  

   tities 
  of 
  big 
  game. 
  Its 
  present 
  area 
  is 
  judged 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  1,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  

   writer 
  first 
  visited 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  in 
  November 
  1910, 
  when 
  the 
  southern 
  

   limit 
  of 
  fly 
  on 
  the 
  Umniati 
  was 
  about 
  seven 
  miles 
  further 
  north 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  to-day. 
  At 
  

   that 
  time 
  game 
  was 
  plentiful 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  but 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  

   and 
  included 
  elephant, 
  rhinoceros, 
  eland, 
  kudu, 
  sable, 
  waterbuck, 
  impala 
  and 
  wart- 
  

   hog, 
  whilst 
  bushbuck 
  was, 
  and 
  remains 
  still, 
  moderately 
  abundant 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  

   itself. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  game, 
  large 
  and 
  numerous 
  troops 
  of 
  baboons 
  frequented 
  the 
  

   river, 
  and 
  have 
  not 
  decreased 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  These 
  animals 
  are, 
  

   as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   territory 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  writer 
  is 
  familiar. 
  The 
  adjacent 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Hartley 
  

   district 
  has 
  been 
  open 
  to 
  free 
  shooting, 
  with 
  one 
  break, 
  since 
  1905, 
  and 
  this 
  has 
  had 
  

   an 
  adverse 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  game 
  on 
  the 
  Sebungwe 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Umniati 
  river. 
  Pro- 
  

   fessional 
  hunters, 
  camping 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  open 
  area," 
  have 
  poached 
  regularly 
  beyoud 
  

   the 
  Umniati 
  and 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  game 
  has 
  become 
  very 
  scarce 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  abundant 
  

   as 
  late 
  as 
  1910 
  and 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  up 
  to 
  1912. 
  Between 
  1910 
  and 
  1912 
  the 
  fly 
  

   extended 
  about 
  seven 
  miles 
  up 
  the 
  Umniati, 
  but 
  since 
  that 
  year 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   come 
  to 
  a 
  standstill 
  at 
  this 
  point. 
  The 
  belt 
  now 
  extends 
  westward 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  Mafungabusi 
  plateau. 
  The 
  writer 
  has 
  never 
  visited 
  the 
  extreme 
  northern 
  

   limit 
  of 
  this 
  belt, 
  but 
  is 
  quite 
  familiar 
  with 
  that 
  portion 
  which 
  lies 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  

   latitude 
  of 
  the 
  Umniati-Sakugwe 
  confluence. 
  In 
  this 
  part 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  fly 
  

   is 
  everywhere 
  scarce 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Umniati 
  River, 
  but 
  at 
  one 
  point 
  

   on 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  Njongwe 
  (Dumbwi) 
  

   it 
  is 
  present 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  According 
  to 
  native 
  evidence 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  

   the 
  fly 
  survived 
  the 
  adverse 
  conditions 
  of 
  1896-7, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  certainly 
  the 
  locality 
  

   where 
  the 
  marked 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  game 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  has 
  had 
  no 
  appreciable 
  

   effect 
  in 
  reducing 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  pest. 
  The 
  persistent 
  presence 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  

   of 
  baboons 
  is, 
  however, 
  a 
  complicating 
  factor, 
  and 
  the 
  association 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  with 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  consistent 
  with 
  the 
  theory 
  that 
  these 
  animals 
  may 
  be 
  acting 
  

   as 
  hosts 
  to 
  the 
  insect. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  to 
  enter 
  at 
  present 
  into 
  the 
  conflicting 
  

   evidence 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  these 
  animals 
  ever 
  allow 
  thenselves 
  to 
  be 
  fed 
  upon 
  by 
  tsetse. 
  

   It 
  is 
  desired 
  merely 
  to 
  record 
  the 
  facts 
  regarding 
  the 
  Umniati 
  fly 
  belt 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  

   are 
  known 
  at 
  present. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  added 
  that 
  baboons 
  do 
  not 
  enter 
  as 
  a 
  serious 
  factor 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  great 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  fly-infested 
  country 
  in 
  the 
  territory. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  fly 
  has 
  shown 
  no 
  tendency 
  to 
  spread 
  from 
  this 
  belt 
  in 
  

   a 
  south-easterly 
  direction 
  towards 
  the 
  railway 
  line, 
  although 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  apparently 
  

   suitable. 
  The 
  game 
  has 
  been 
  kept 
  down 
  very 
  effectively 
  by 
  hunters 
  in 
  this 
  area 
  for 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  past. 
  

  

  