273 



NOTES ON THE BLOOD-SUCKING FLiES OF OSHOGBO AND 

 ILESHA DISTRICTS, SOUTHERN NIGERIA. 



• By Dr. T. F. G. Mayer, W.A.M.S. 



(MAP.) 



The Oshogbo and llesha districts of Southern Nigeria are contiguous and are 

 situated in the north-east corner of the Western Province. They are bounded on 

 the north and east by Northern Nigeria, on the west by the Oyo district, and on 

 the south by the Ibadan and Ondo districts of the Western Province, and by a 

 small part of the Centi-al Province. 



Politically, these districts are separate, the Government headquarters being 

 at Oshogbo and llesha respectively, and it is in them that the majority of the 

 biting flies mentioned below have been caught ; at llesha by Capt. L. E. H. 

 Humfrey and Capt. A. H. Blair, and at Oshogbo by myself. 



The Oshogbo Residency is situated on a hill a mile from the native town. 

 A clearing in the bush for about 100 yards round the house has been planted 

 with Bahama grass. 



The llesha Residency is also situated on the top of a hill, a very steep one, 

 rising 700 feet above the surrounding country. It is about 2,000 feet above sea 

 level. The base of this hill is ihickly clothed with forest, but the summit has 

 been cleared and planted with Bahama grass and gardens. The country to the 

 north and east of llesha is very hilly and is clothed with thick forest, but west 

 and south of llesha it is more open, having been cleared largely for farming, and 

 is gently undulating. It will be seen on referring to the map that all this district 

 is high ground, forming as it does the watershed for rivers flowing in every 

 direction. 



The tables below chow the flies that have been caught in the two places. 

 They are only of positive value, that is to say blanks must not be taken to mean 

 that the fly is not present. 



The rainy season begins in March and lasts till the end of October. No rain 

 fell during November, December, January and February. 



,The collections of Capt. L. E. H. Humfrey and Capt. A. H. Blair, from 

 llesha, have been sent during the year to the Entomological Research Committee, 

 together with mine from Oshogbo, and all the identifications have been received 

 from the Committee, with the exception of some specimens sent in June, July 

 and August, 1910, to Dr. W. M. Graham, of the Medical Research Institute, 

 Yaba, near Lagos. The results are shown in the tables following. 



