﻿INVESTIGATIONS 
  INTO 
  THE 
  BIONOMICS 
  OF 
  GLOSSINA 
  PALPALIS. 
  393 
  

  

  They 
  are 
  not 
  ordinarily 
  hunted 
  by 
  the 
  natives, 
  who 
  make 
  no 
  use 
  of 
  either 
  flesh 
  

   or 
  skin, 
  and 
  who, 
  though 
  they 
  detest 
  the 
  animals, 
  will 
  not 
  take 
  the 
  trouble 
  to 
  

   destroy 
  their 
  eggs 
  when 
  found. 
  Depopulation, 
  the 
  natives 
  assert, 
  has 
  had 
  no 
  effect 
  

   on 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  crocodile 
  infesting 
  the 
  islands. 
  They 
  are 
  probably 
  almost 
  

   unmitigated 
  vermin. 
  

  

  Yaranus. 
  

  

  Varanus, 
  or 
  the 
  monitor 
  lizard, 
  is 
  second 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  crocodile 
  in 
  importance 
  

   as 
  a 
  host 
  for 
  Glossina 
  palpalis. 
  It 
  is 
  distributed 
  on 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  rocky 
  shores 
  

   of 
  islands 
  and 
  mainland. 
  It 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  at 
  home 
  on 
  land 
  than 
  the 
  crocodile, 
  

   and 
  may 
  wander 
  so 
  freely 
  and 
  to 
  such 
  considerable 
  distances 
  inland 
  as 
  to 
  affect 
  

   the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  notably 
  (see 
  Sect. 
  V 
  (d) 
  ). 
  

  

  Few 
  animals 
  enjoy 
  a 
  greater 
  diversity 
  of 
  purely 
  animal 
  food. 
  Its 
  excreta, 
  

   sometimes 
  abundant 
  in 
  much 
  -frequented 
  basking 
  grounds, 
  show 
  it 
  to 
  feed 
  largely 
  

   on 
  molluscs, 
  both 
  terrestrial 
  and 
  aquatic, 
  and 
  very 
  freely 
  on 
  the 
  fresh- 
  water 
  crabs 
  

   that 
  often 
  abound 
  under 
  stones 
  in 
  shallow 
  water. 
  An 
  abundance 
  of 
  crabs 
  is 
  sure 
  

   to 
  attract 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  Varanus, 
  and 
  nearly 
  always, 
  except 
  on 
  small 
  and 
  poorly 
  

   sheltered 
  islets, 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  Varanus 
  is 
  correlated 
  with 
  abundance 
  of 
  tsetse. 
  

   But 
  the 
  reptile 
  also 
  feeds 
  freely 
  on 
  insects, 
  both 
  aquatic 
  and 
  terrestrial, 
  including 
  

   among 
  the 
  latter 
  such 
  unsavoury 
  types 
  as 
  cockroaches 
  and 
  scavenger 
  beetles 
  ; 
  

   fish 
  and 
  other 
  small 
  vertebrates, 
  including 
  certainly 
  snakes 
  and 
  frogs 
  ; 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   of 
  birds, 
  and 
  also 
  (so 
  it 
  is 
  said) 
  eggs 
  of 
  crocodile. 
  

  

  It 
  domiciles 
  itself 
  in 
  burrows 
  which 
  it 
  excavates 
  in 
  sandy 
  soil, 
  in 
  crevices 
  of 
  rocks 
  

   and, 
  quite 
  commonly, 
  in 
  termite 
  nests. 
  Usually 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  well 
  marked 
  basking 
  

   spot 
  near 
  at 
  hand, 
  and 
  there 
  occur 
  quite 
  frequently 
  the 
  breeding 
  places 
  of 
  tsetse. 
  

  

  Its 
  own 
  breeding 
  places 
  are 
  variously 
  described, 
  and 
  declared 
  by 
  some 
  European 
  

   observers, 
  positively, 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  old 
  termite 
  nests. 
  But 
  it 
  appears 
  more 
  probable 
  

   that 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  large 
  mounds 
  of 
  earth 
  and 
  debris 
  thrown 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  animals, 
  but 
  

   not 
  watched 
  over 
  by 
  them. 
  These 
  curious 
  mounds 
  are 
  common, 
  but 
  of 
  those 
  

   excavated 
  none 
  were 
  found 
  occupied. 
  The 
  tsetse 
  is 
  only 
  by 
  chance 
  associated 
  with 
  

   its 
  host 
  at 
  these 
  (assumed) 
  breeding 
  places, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  coincidence 
  between 
  

   the 
  location 
  of 
  them 
  and 
  the 
  haunts 
  or 
  breeding 
  places 
  of 
  fly. 
  

  

  On 
  certain 
  islands 
  and 
  islets, 
  notably 
  Manene 
  and 
  Dziru, 
  Varanus 
  was 
  found 
  

   so 
  commonly 
  that 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  would 
  be 
  flushed 
  per 
  hour 
  of 
  hunting. 
  

   Such 
  abundance, 
  the 
  natives 
  assert, 
  was 
  unheard 
  of 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  depopulation 
  

   of 
  the 
  islands, 
  and 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  species 
  has 
  increased 
  notably, 
  and 
  the 
  tsetse 
  

   with 
  it. 
  They 
  are 
  so 
  eagerly 
  hunted 
  by 
  the 
  natives, 
  partly 
  for 
  their 
  flesh, 
  but 
  

   especially 
  for 
  their 
  skins, 
  that 
  their 
  numbers 
  would 
  certainly 
  be 
  reduced 
  if 
  the 
  

   islands 
  were 
  repopulated. 
  The 
  skins 
  are 
  so 
  highly 
  prized 
  — 
  for 
  making 
  musical 
  

   instruments 
  — 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  if 
  any 
  reward 
  or 
  bounty 
  would 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  much 
  larger 
  numbers. 
  

   Tortoise. 
  

  

  No 
  species 
  of 
  tortoise 
  (or 
  of 
  turtle) 
  is 
  at 
  all 
  commonly 
  encountered 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  

   Therefore, 
  though 
  tortoise 
  is 
  freely 
  fed 
  upon 
  and 
  apparently 
  a 
  favoured 
  host 
  it 
  is 
  

   of 
  insignificant 
  account 
  in 
  this 
  particular 
  region. 
  Elsewhere 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  of 
  prime 
  

   importance 
  as 
  a 
  factor 
  in 
  Glossina 
  bionomics. 
  

  

  