﻿RESEARCH IN BRITISH WEST AFRICA. 175 



The greater part of the Degema district is composed of mangrove swamp, but 

 in the northern portion there is some good high ground. This region is a 

 bewildering maze of creeks, but wherever there is any solid ground one sees a 

 small fishing hamlet and a few coconut palms. There is no attempt at agri- 

 culture, as the only parts above high water mark are occupied by huts. These 

 hamlets swarm with noxious insects of all kinds, e.g., Tab anus secedens, T. socialis, 

 T. tkor acinus, Glossina palpalis, and Stegomyia fasciata ; probably many more 

 would be found if a thorough examination were made. 



At the town of Degema, the following mosquitos, in addition to those men- 

 tioned above, were obtained, Myzomyia costalis, Culex duttoni, C. tigripes var. 

 fuscus, C. invidiosus, Ochlerotatus domesticus, O. nigricephalus and Tacniorhynchus 

 annetti. 



Bonny is a small district comprising the port and island of Bonny. The 

 country is all in the delta belt and is consequently very flat and swampy with 

 occasional tracts of firm land. A considerable amount of reclamation has been 

 done around the town and much low-lying ground has been raised, but this work 

 is yet far from complete. Bonny is a regular port of call for mail boats, and all 

 officials and others for the area under discussion trans-ship here. Consequently, 

 it merits considerable attention from a sanitary standpoint. Myzomyia costalis 

 and Stegomyia fasciata are both extremely abundant, as also is Ochlerotatus 

 nigricephalus. Sand-flies are said to be very troublesome during the rains, but 

 none were seen during my visit in the month of May. 



The district of Opobo lies to the east of Bonny around a river of the same 

 name, which rises in the hinterland, where it is known as the Imo. It is 

 connected by creeks, however, with the Niger delta area, though topographically 

 distinct from it. There is a regular launch service through these creeks between 

 Bonny and the town of Opobo, the headquarters of the district at the mouth of 

 the Opobo River. Near the coast, the land is covered with mangrove swamp 

 intersected by occasional patches of sandy soil ; further inland, in the north 

 and east, the country is undulating ; in the west it is very low-lying and swampy 

 during the rains. 



Cattle, sheep and goats are kept, but in small numbers. Elephant, hippopotami, 

 crocodiles, antelope and pig are to be found in the Andoni portion of the district — 

 a marshy stretch of country near the sea. 



On the launch, between Bonny and Opobo, the following blood-sucking insects 

 were found : — Glossina palpalis, Tab anus seccdens, T. socialis, and T. tlwr acinus ; 

 while at Opobo itself, in addition to these, Tabanus argenteus, Chrysops longi- 

 cornis, Culex guiarti, Culiciomyia nebulosa and Stegomyia fasciata were obtained. 

 Similarly, during the journey by launch up the river Opobo to Akwete Tabanus 

 secedens, T. socialis and Glossina palpalis flew aboard in numbers, while at the 

 latter place Tabanus obscurehirtus and Chrysops silacea were caught. 



The districts of Ahoada and Owerri lie north of a line drawn from Akwete and 

 Degema, being inland from the delta, but in the basin of the Niger. During my 

 visit to the colony I was unable to visit either of these regions, and so far no 

 blood-sucking insects have been received from them. The following short 

 description will, however, serve to show the nature of the country. 



