﻿INVESTIGATIONS 
  INTO 
  THE 
  BIONOMICS 
  OP 
  GLOSSINA 
  PALPALIS. 
  437 
  

  

  quicker 
  to 
  detect 
  danger 
  from 
  this 
  source 
  and 
  more 
  successful 
  in 
  protecting 
  itself 
  

   against 
  it 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  biting 
  fly. 
  Certainly 
  it 
  is 
  quicker 
  to 
  " 
  dodge 
  " 
  a 
  blow 
  and 
  

   more 
  difficult 
  to 
  capture 
  bare-handed 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  biting 
  fly 
  known 
  to 
  me, 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  also 
  the 
  quickest 
  to 
  desist 
  from 
  attack 
  upon 
  a 
  dangerously 
  alert 
  and 
  sensitive 
  

   host. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  dangerous 
  of 
  its 
  potential 
  hosts 
  are 
  probably 
  monkeys, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   exceedingly 
  doubtful 
  if 
  it 
  could 
  exist 
  if 
  forced 
  to 
  feed 
  off 
  them 
  alone. 
  Monkeys 
  

   are 
  not 
  only 
  alert, 
  sensitive 
  and 
  very 
  quick 
  of 
  movement, 
  but 
  are 
  expert 
  catchers 
  

   of 
  insects. 
  

  

  Sheep 
  and 
  goats 
  are 
  almost 
  equally 
  intolerant, 
  but 
  less 
  dangerous, 
  by 
  far. 
  They 
  

   strive 
  to 
  evade 
  being 
  bitten 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  aggressor. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  noted 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  bull 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  experiment 
  cited 
  on 
  p. 
  402 
  that 
  he 
  

   strove 
  to 
  destroy 
  his 
  tormentors, 
  striking 
  vigorously 
  with 
  head 
  or 
  foot, 
  in 
  quite 
  

   sharp 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  behaviour 
  of 
  the 
  sheep 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  experiment. 
  

  

  Man, 
  however, 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  potentially 
  destructive 
  host 
  next 
  to 
  monkey. 
  

   The 
  ordinarily 
  sensitive 
  individual 
  would 
  destroy 
  nearly 
  every 
  fly 
  which 
  he 
  detected 
  

   in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  feeding 
  (occasionally 
  the 
  bite 
  is 
  absolutely 
  painless 
  and 
  the 
  fly 
  engorges 
  

   before 
  being 
  detected), 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  extreme 
  quickness 
  of 
  the 
  insect. 
  The 
  

   chances 
  of 
  a 
  fly's 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  engorge 
  undetected 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  good, 
  and 
  if 
  deprived 
  

   of 
  all 
  other 
  than 
  human 
  hosts 
  many 
  would 
  become 
  very 
  hungry 
  before 
  they 
  succeeded 
  

   in 
  engorging. 
  The 
  very 
  hungry 
  flies 
  take 
  desperate 
  chances, 
  and 
  press 
  their 
  attack 
  

   so 
  viciously 
  and 
  persistently 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  frequently 
  destroyed. 
  This 
  was 
  

   characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  flies 
  in 
  the 
  Mujuzi 
  Creek 
  colony, 
  where 
  they 
  pressed 
  their 
  

   attack 
  so 
  persistently 
  that 
  so 
  many 
  were 
  destroyed 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  difficult 
  to 
  imagine 
  

   that 
  the 
  species 
  could 
  exist 
  as 
  a 
  parasite 
  of 
  man 
  alone.* 
  

  

  IX 
  (6). 
  Predatory 
  Destruction 
  of 
  Adult 
  Flies. 
  

  

  (1). 
  Spiders. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  conspicuous 
  biotic 
  phenomena 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Victoria 
  Nyanza 
  

   is 
  the 
  incredible 
  number 
  of 
  spiders 
  that 
  occur 
  locally 
  at 
  points 
  along 
  the 
  mainland 
  

   shore, 
  or 
  on 
  small 
  islets. 
  There 
  are 
  numerous 
  species, 
  the 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  gigantic 
  web-spinner 
  identified 
  (by 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  C. 
  Gowdey, 
  Government 
  

   Entomologist 
  of 
  Uganda) 
  as 
  Nephele 
  pilipes. 
  The 
  full-grown 
  individuals 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  habitually 
  stretch 
  their 
  webs 
  from 
  one 
  tree 
  or 
  bush 
  to 
  another 
  across 
  openings 
  

   in 
  bush 
  or 
  forest, 
  or 
  between 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  bushes 
  growing 
  not 
  too 
  distantly 
  separated 
  

   along 
  the 
  lake 
  shore. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  several 
  other 
  large 
  species 
  which 
  appear 
  like 
  the 
  Nephele 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  

   independent, 
  and 
  many 
  small 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  independent, 
  but 
  which 
  live 
  — 
  

   in 
  proportionately 
  incredible 
  numbers 
  — 
  as 
  guests 
  or 
  inquilines 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  species 
  — 
  

   sometimes 
  by 
  robbing 
  their 
  webs 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  insects 
  entangled 
  in 
  them, 
  and 
  some- 
  

   times 
  by 
  spinning 
  their 
  finer 
  webs 
  in 
  the 
  coarse 
  meshes 
  of 
  the 
  webs 
  spun 
  by 
  the 
  

   larger 
  species. 
  

  

  * 
  So 
  alert, 
  quick 
  and 
  sensitive 
  a 
  host 
  as 
  man 
  must 
  be 
  approached 
  by 
  insect 
  parasites 
  

   with 
  considerable 
  circumspection 
  ; 
  the 
  successful 
  insect 
  parasites 
  of 
  man 
  appear 
  either 
  

   to 
  approach 
  him 
  while 
  asleep, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  bed-bug, 
  the 
  floor 
  maggot, 
  most 
  

   mosquitos, 
  etc., 
  or 
  to 
  be 
  extraordinarily 
  insidious, 
  like 
  the 
  chigger, 
  or 
  to 
  be 
  exceptionally 
  

   resistent 
  to 
  retaliatory 
  activities 
  like 
  fleas, 
  and 
  some 
  others. 
  

  

  