﻿394 
  W. 
  F. 
  FISKE. 
  

  

  Serpents. 
  

  

  Serpents 
  are 
  not 
  commonly 
  encountered, 
  except, 
  perhaps, 
  on 
  a 
  few 
  islets 
  (notably 
  

   Tavu, 
  where 
  a 
  cobra 
  was 
  unusually 
  numerous) 
  and 
  on 
  certain 
  sandy 
  plains 
  much 
  

   frequented 
  by 
  a 
  small 
  earth-coloured 
  snake. 
  Of 
  those 
  observed, 
  a 
  python 
  and 
  a 
  

   puff-adder 
  seemed 
  most 
  likely 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  hosts 
  of 
  tsetse, 
  but 
  both 
  were 
  so 
  infre- 
  

   quently 
  seen 
  that 
  no 
  python 
  and 
  only 
  one 
  adder 
  was 
  observed 
  in 
  a 
  fly-infested 
  

   locality 
  at 
  hours 
  when 
  the 
  flies 
  were 
  active. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  notable 
  proclivity 
  of 
  this 
  tsetse 
  to 
  feed/on 
  reptiles, 
  it 
  pretty 
  

   certainly 
  attacks 
  serpents, 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  they 
  cannot 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  consequence 
  

   as 
  hosts. 
  

  

  Small 
  Lizards. 
  

  

  Small 
  lizards 
  of 
  several 
  species 
  are 
  very 
  numerous 
  in 
  fly-infested 
  localities, 
  but 
  

   all 
  evidence 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  ever 
  fed 
  upon 
  is 
  negative. 
  Certainly 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  no 
  

   importance 
  as 
  hosts. 
  

  

  Situtunga. 
  

  

  Although 
  usually 
  accounted 
  a 
  rare 
  species, 
  this 
  antelope 
  is 
  easily 
  third 
  in 
  importance 
  

   among 
  the 
  hosts 
  of 
  Glossina 
  palpalis 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  under 
  consideration. 
  On 
  the 
  

   mainland 
  its 
  range 
  is 
  restricted 
  by 
  the 
  leopard 
  or 
  human 
  hunters 
  to 
  marshy 
  areas, 
  

   either 
  forested 
  or 
  overgrown 
  with 
  reeds, 
  grass 
  or 
  papyrus, 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  zone 
  of 
  varying 
  

   width 
  (maximum 
  observed 
  about 
  2 
  miles) 
  surrounding 
  these 
  protected 
  areas. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  possibly 
  unique 
  (together 
  with 
  other 
  " 
  species 
  " 
  of 
  its 
  subgenus) 
  amongst 
  

   antelopes 
  in 
  that 
  it 
  swims 
  well 
  and 
  takes 
  voluntarily 
  to 
  the 
  water. 
  This 
  permits 
  

   it 
  to 
  occupy 
  islands 
  where 
  no 
  other 
  antelope 
  occurs, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  species 
  occurring 
  

   on 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  visited, 
  except 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Mawakota 
  group 
  (Bunjako 
  ? 
  Binga 
  

   and 
  perhaps 
  Bussi 
  and 
  Zinga), 
  which 
  lie 
  near 
  the 
  western 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  

   are 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  mainland 
  by 
  fields 
  of 
  floating 
  sudd. 
  

  

  Except 
  on 
  these 
  sudd-bound 
  islands 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  leopards 
  on 
  any 
  that 
  have 
  

   been 
  visited. 
  Previous 
  to 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  population, 
  in 
  1909, 
  the 
  antelope 
  

   was 
  restricted 
  in 
  insular 
  range 
  to 
  the 
  uninhabited 
  islands 
  of 
  Nkose 
  and 
  Mwanse, 
  and 
  

   to 
  the 
  larger 
  inhabited 
  islands 
  upon 
  which 
  large 
  areas 
  of 
  marshy 
  land 
  afforded 
  

   the 
  protection 
  required 
  against 
  leopard 
  and 
  human 
  hunter 
  alike. 
  But 
  following 
  

   depopulation 
  it 
  was 
  free 
  from 
  destructive 
  enemies 
  and 
  not 
  only 
  multiplied 
  with 
  

   remarkable 
  rapidity 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  it 
  formerly 
  occupied 
  (i.e., 
  those 
  with 
  large 
  

   marshy 
  areas), 
  but 
  extended 
  its 
  range 
  to 
  other 
  islets 
  and 
  islands 
  hitherto 
  free 
  

   from 
  it.* 
  

  

  *The 
  following 
  notes 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  distributions 
  in 
  1915: 
  — 
  

  

  Damba 
  Island. 
  Originally 
  infested, 
  now 
  densely 
  infested. 
  

  

  Kome 
  Island. 
  Originally 
  infested, 
  now 
  lightly 
  infested. 
  Spread 
  (since 
  1909) 
  from 
  

   Ivome 
  to 
  Namba 
  and 
  Nsadzi 
  Islands. 
  

  

  Bugalla-Buninga 
  (Sesse) 
  Island. 
  Originally 
  infested, 
  now 
  very 
  densely 
  infested. 
  

   Spread 
  (since 
  1909) 
  from 
  Sesse 
  to 
  Fumve, 
  Bubembe, 
  Bunyama, 
  Manene, 
  Bufumira, 
  

   Bugaba 
  and 
  Mbugwe 
  Islands. 
  

  

  Nkose 
  Island. 
  Originally 
  and 
  still 
  densely 
  infested. 
  

  

  Luambu 
  Island. 
  Newly 
  infested 
  from 
  mainland. 
  

  

  Bunjako, 
  Binga, 
  Zinga, 
  Bussi 
  and 
  other 
  sudd-bound 
  islands 
  all 
  originally 
  infested. 
  

  

  