﻿276 S. A. NEAVE — NOTES ON THE BLOOD-SUCKING 



of insect life was made, comprising about 100,000 specimens, of which about 

 15,000 were blood-sucking arthropods. 



I am glad to be able to take this opportunity of expressing my best thanks for 

 the unvarying assistance and hospitality I everywhere received during the course 

 of my tour. My especial thanks are due to the Principal Medical Officers of 

 the three Protectorates, viz. : — Dr. H. Hearsey at Zomba, Dr. A. D. Milne at 

 Nairobi, and Dr. A. P. D. Hodges, C.M.G., at Entebbe, who rendered me every 

 possible assistance. 



In addition to somewhat detailed records of my collection, I have endeavoured 

 to bring up to date lists of the known species of biting arthropods from each of 

 the countries under discussion. These lists must not be regarded as by any 

 means complete, but if they be compared with those given in Mr. E. E. 

 Austen's "Illustrations of African Blood-sucking Flies " (1909), some idea will 

 be gained of the great increase in our knowledge of these insects that has been 

 effected in the last few years. 



I have also added, as an appendix, a provisional list of the native names of 

 the principal blood-sucking insects and ticks in Eastern Tropical Africa. 



The identification of so large a number of species as those recorded in this 

 paper has been a most laborious task, and the writer's best thanks are due to 

 those who have done a large part of this work, particularly Mr. E. E. Austen, 

 Mr. F. W. Edwards, Professor R. Newstead, F.R.S., Professor G. F. Nuttall, 

 F.R.S., and Mr. C. Warburton. Finally the writer is most deeply indebted 

 to Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall who, in spite of a great press of work, has found time 

 not only to help much in identification but to assist in a great variety of ways 

 throughout the production of this paper. 



Before giving particulars of the insect themselves a few notes on general 

 methods of collecting may perhaps be of interest. It is not necessary to lay 

 down any special instructions for collecting such insects as biting flies, since, to a 

 large extent, they come to the collector instead of having to be searched for. 

 Special methods have however to be adopted in collecting the males of those 

 groups in which only the female sex bites, as in the Tabanidae, but these will 

 be discussed under that family. 



Given the time to train them, I have always found native collectors to be 

 invaluable. Young boys of from 12 to 15 years of age usually seem to be the 

 most satisfactory. If older than this, they are slower to learn, take less interest 

 in their work, and are not so energetic or active. Personally, I have always 

 found a system of partial payment by results most satisfactory. My collectors 

 have usually been paid the lowest local monthly rate of wages, but in addition 

 often earn 25-50 per cent., or even more, per month according to their success. 

 This system not only encourages them to work hard but gives them a definite 

 interest in the insects themselves, as the additional pay is given for special 

 insects, such as, in the case of biting flies, male Tabanids or individuals of species 

 not at all, or very little represented in the collection. 



The different tribes of East African natives seem to differ to a remarkable 

 extent in their capacity for this kind of work. Though some of the North East 

 Rhodesian tribes are good, particularly the Awemba, by far the best come from 

 Nyasaland, notably those of Yao stock. The natives of British East Africa 



