160 J AS. J. SIMPSON — ENTOMOLOGICAL 



wide, and consequently the launch never approaches the bank within the limit of 

 flight of blood-sucking insects. After passing Tumbo Island which lies at the 

 mouth of the Rokell River, the steamer enters the Port Lokko Creek, and this 

 gradually narrows towards Port Lokko. Its banks are covered with mangrove 

 swamp, and the number and variety of blood-sucking insects which inhabit its 

 shores may be gauged from the fact that twenty-seven specimens belonging to 

 seven different species were caught (very many more were seen) in about an hour 

 in the launch, which was going at a speed of over 8 miles an hour. The follow- 

 ing are the species referred to : — Glossina palpalis ; Tabanus fasciatus, 

 T. laverani, T. socialis, T. hingsleyi, T. besti var. arbucklei, and another species 

 of Tabanus closely allied to T. kingsleyi but probably now 



Port Lokko is an important town situated at the head of this creek. It is the 

 headquarters of a sub-district of Karene, and a District Commissioner is stationed 

 there. Two companies of the West African regiment are also permanently 

 quartered there. A launch runs weekly from Freetown to Port Lokko, but in 

 addition to this there is a considerable number of large canoes continually carry- 

 ing produce between these two places. Port Lokko is the terminus of one of 

 the longest trade routes in the Protectorate, namely the Falaba-Port Lokko 

 Road. Immense quantities of produce continually pass backwards and forwards 

 along this road on the way to and from Freetown. There is one European and 

 many Syrian stores ; the permanent population is large, and the floating 

 population sometimes exceeds a hundred daily. 



The only blood-sucking flies caught in Port Lokko itself were Glossina palpalis 

 and Tabanus laverani, and both these species were obtained in the rest-house. 

 Two species of ticks w T ere found, namely, Haemaphysalis leachi from a dog, and 

 Haemaphysalis parmata from a harnessed antelope (Tray clap has scriptus). 

 Mallophaga were also found on a bush rat and a harnessed antelope, but these 

 have not yet been identified. 



The route from Port Lokko to Kaballa and back to Port Lokko now to be 

 described, is not one of the main roads in the Protectorate, but was selected as 

 a means of examining the basins of the Great and Little Skarsies Rivers. The 

 road from Port Lokko to Kambia crosses the Little Skarsies at Mange ; from 

 Kambia to Yana it follows the Great Skarsies ; from Yana to Kamagbonse it 

 again crosses the basin of the Little Skarsies ; from Kamagbonse to Kamakoni 

 it passes along the Mango River, which is a tributary of the Little Skarsies ; 

 while the remainder of the journey follows the Little Skarsies itself. The 

 complete circular tour, therefore, gives a fairly comprehensive survey of these 

 two river-systems. 



The country from Port Lokko to Kambia is undulating, but less so after 

 passing Mange on the Little Skarsies River. The general type of vegetation 

 might be described as orchard-like, thin bush or low scrub, but wherever there 

 are water-courses one finds heavy bush with large trees and interweaving lianes, 

 giving dense shade. The varying nature of the vegetation in the open country 

 away from the rivers is due to the mode of cultivation adopted by the natives. 

 A strip of bush is cut down, burnt, and cleared for a rice farm. After the crop 

 has been taken off, the ground is allowed to remain fallow for five years or more. 

 Consequently the bush grows again, and the height and density of the vegetation 



