﻿INVESTIGATIONS 
  INTO 
  THE 
  BIONOMICS 
  OF 
  GLOSSINA 
  PALPALIS. 
  377 
  

  

  On 
  Varanus. 
  Kitobo 
  Island, 
  3rd 
  December 
  1913. 
  

  

  Varanus 
  observed 
  excavating 
  burrow 
  in 
  sandy 
  soil 
  some 
  little 
  distance 
  from 
  

   shelter. 
  On 
  approaching 
  it 
  made 
  off 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  on 
  reaching 
  the 
  spot 
  I 
  was 
  assailed 
  

   by 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  tsetse, 
  which 
  swept 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  and 
  around 
  me 
  like 
  angry 
  

   bees, 
  " 
  buzzing 
  " 
  in 
  their 
  flight 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  never 
  before 
  noted. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  

   they 
  all 
  dispersed, 
  without 
  any 
  of 
  them 
  alighting 
  upon 
  me. 
  

  

  On 
  Varanus. 
  Nsadzi 
  Island, 
  3rd 
  February 
  1914. 
  

  

  A 
  Varanus 
  was 
  suddenly 
  flushed 
  in 
  grass 
  land 
  (grass 
  about 
  knee-high) 
  not 
  much 
  

  

  less 
  than 
  a 
  hundred 
  yards 
  from 
  any 
  shelter. 
  It 
  made 
  off 
  rapidly 
  and 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  

  

  flies, 
  numbering 
  several 
  dozen 
  at 
  least, 
  rose 
  and 
  filled 
  the 
  air 
  with 
  their 
  angry, 
  bee-like 
  

  

  ' 
  buzzing." 
  As 
  on 
  Kitobo 
  they 
  swept 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  and 
  around 
  about 
  me, 
  but 
  

  

  none 
  alighted 
  or 
  offered 
  to 
  attack, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  minute 
  or 
  two 
  all 
  had 
  dispersed. 
  

  

  On 
  Situtunga. 
  Bugalla 
  Island, 
  23rd 
  November 
  1914. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  male 
  situtunga 
  was 
  approached 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  feeding 
  with 
  its 
  head 
  concealed 
  

   in 
  a 
  dense 
  thicket. 
  With 
  glasses 
  (Zeiss 
  prismatic 
  Xl2) 
  it 
  was 
  possible 
  to 
  make 
  out 
  

   that 
  a 
  peculiar 
  dark 
  colour 
  of 
  fore 
  leg, 
  lower 
  shoulder 
  and 
  thorax, 
  which 
  were 
  plainly 
  

   seen 
  through 
  an 
  opening 
  in 
  the 
  bushes, 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  an 
  unprecedented 
  number 
  of 
  

   tsetse, 
  which 
  literally 
  blackened 
  its 
  coat. 
  It 
  seemed 
  entirely 
  unmoved 
  and 
  

   phlegmatic 
  under 
  attack. 
  

  

  On 
  being 
  shot, 
  the 
  animal 
  plunged 
  directly 
  through 
  the 
  thicket 
  ; 
  ran 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  

   at 
  great 
  speed 
  and 
  fell. 
  On 
  proceeding 
  to 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  feeding, 
  I 
  found 
  

   a 
  " 
  following 
  swarm 
  " 
  of 
  fly 
  of 
  unprecedented 
  size 
  (probably 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  200 
  flies) 
  

   buzzing 
  like 
  a 
  great 
  swarm 
  of 
  angry 
  bees. 
  They 
  surrounded 
  me, 
  but 
  hardly 
  any 
  

   alighted 
  on 
  me 
  or 
  followed 
  me 
  to 
  where 
  the 
  antelope 
  lay. 
  

  

  On 
  Situtunga. 
  Damba 
  Island, 
  13th 
  September 
  1915. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  male 
  situtunga 
  was 
  shot 
  in 
  an 
  opening 
  in 
  the 
  forest 
  in 
  the 
  dusk 
  of 
  evening. 
  

   It 
  ran 
  into 
  the 
  thickly 
  shaded 
  forest 
  and 
  fell. 
  On 
  reaching 
  it 
  I 
  was 
  amazed 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  swarm 
  of 
  flies, 
  partly 
  outside, 
  but 
  judging 
  by 
  the 
  noise 
  they 
  made, 
  

   more 
  inside 
  than 
  outside 
  the 
  forest 
  (it 
  was 
  so 
  dark 
  inside 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  seen). 
  Is 
  

   it 
  possible 
  that 
  a 
  swarm 
  will 
  follow 
  an 
  animal 
  into 
  the 
  night, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  remain 
  

   on 
  its 
  body 
  all 
  night 
  ? 
  

  

  On 
  Varanus. 
  Manene 
  Island, 
  16th 
  March 
  1915. 
  

  

  While 
  passing 
  through 
  forest 
  a 
  movement 
  in 
  the 
  vegetation 
  (the 
  ground 
  was 
  

   completely 
  covered 
  with 
  broad-leaved 
  herbage 
  rather 
  less 
  than 
  knee-high) 
  indicated 
  

   the 
  approach 
  of 
  some 
  small 
  animal. 
  It 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  Varanus, 
  which 
  came 
  very 
  

   slowly, 
  evidently 
  hunting 
  insects 
  and 
  molluscs, 
  to 
  very 
  near 
  me. 
  At 
  no 
  time 
  could 
  

   I 
  see 
  its 
  body, 
  but 
  keeping 
  pace 
  with 
  it 
  and 
  evidently 
  following 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  

   the 
  herbage 
  was 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  perhaps 
  two 
  dozen 
  tsetse. 
  The 
  flies 
  were 
  not 
  anxious 
  

   to 
  feed 
  or 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  animal, 
  but 
  merely 
  followed 
  its 
  movements, 
  

   alighting 
  on 
  the 
  herbage 
  or 
  hovering 
  about. 
  A 
  movement 
  on 
  my 
  part 
  sent 
  the 
  

   animal 
  scuttling 
  rapidly 
  away, 
  whereupon 
  ths 
  disappointed 
  flies 
  rose 
  and 
  swept 
  

   back 
  and 
  forth, 
  buzzing 
  angrily 
  as 
  usual 
  in 
  such 
  cases. 
  

  

  