RESEARCH IN SIERRA LEONE. 181 



Torma will long remain a vivid memory in the mind of the writer on account 

 of its mosquitos. His experience there was certainly the worst he ever en- 

 countered with these troublesome insects. As soon as the sun had set, they began 

 to invade the rest-house and work was impossible. So numerous were they and 

 so blood-thirsty that the process of undressing had to be conducted outside. By 

 some means or other a few managed to win their way inside the mosquito net, and 

 to remain in bed was simply courting disaster. Finally, my dog, which was 

 chained to the bed, became restive and I had to get up and loose him. He made 

 one rush for the door and did not return for hours, which was far from his usual 

 habit. To return to bed was now impossible, and I was being bitten in every 

 available spot. I counted over 300 on one side of my mosquito net at one time 

 and in about twenty minutes I caught and chloroformed over 80 in glass-bottomed 

 boxes. The buzzing noise emitted by the remainder could be heard many yards 

 from the house. The rest of the night was spent in the open, and dressing in the 

 morning was accomplished outside. The servants who were quartered in the 

 town complained bitterly of their troubles with mosquitos during the night. On 

 examination the following species were identified : — Anopheles mauritianus, A. 

 costalis, Mansoniodes uniformis, and M. africa.nus, and it is more than probable 

 that all these species occur in all the towns along the lagoon and on the river. 



G. palpalis was caught at Gori and at several places between Demaboa and 

 Mafwe, while Tabanus fasciatus was abundant all along the river. At Mafwe 

 T. fasciatus and T. besti var. arbucklei were caught in a house in the town. 

 Several specimens of Porocephalus sp. were obtained from a snake (Naia albicollis), 

 four feet long, shot in the river. 



The remainder of the journey to Rotifunk was accomplished overland. 

 Between Mafwe and Mattru T. fasciatus and T. besti var. arbucklei were both 

 caught on the road. Mattru is a large town on the Jong River at the limit of 

 navigability for large boats from Bonthe. The following blood-sucking insects 

 were obtained there : — Glossina palpalis, Tabanus fasciatus, T. besti, T. besti var 

 arbucklei, Haematopota sp. Anopheles costalis, A, mauritianus, Mansonioides 

 uniformis and M. africanus. 



The country from Mattru to Gbangbama is undulating and covered with low 

 thick scrub (Plate XXI, figs. 1 and 2). Tabanus fasciatus was the only blood- 

 sucking insect seen during this trek, but at Gbangbama Glossina fusca was 

 obtained. A lizard (Agama colonorum.) was caught there and found to be infested 

 with a red ecto-parasite belonging to the genus Geckobia, of which hitherto only 

 one species, namely, neumanni, has been described. 



Gbangbama is the headquarters of a sub-district of Sherbro where an Assistant 

 District Commissioner is permanently stationed. At the time of my visit a 

 company of the West African Frontier Force was quartered there and consider- 

 able clearing had been effected for the erection of military lines and a large prison 

 (Plate XXI, fig. 2). 



The road from Gbangbama to Sembehun crosses numerous rivers and creeks 

 at the limit of tidal influence, or in other words, at the extreme northern limit of 

 mangrove swamp. At all these places G. palpalis was found. It is unnecessary 

 to give these localities in detail, as all are recorded on the map. Tabanus besti 

 was the only other blood-sucking insect seen during this trek. 



