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



The majority of the answers come from Government officials, Medical Officers, 

 settlers and others long resident in Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia. 

 G. morsitans is not known to occur in British East Africa and in Uganda appears 

 to be confined to a comparatively limited and little traversed area. But little 

 information is therefore available from this region and, in the case of Uganda, the 

 area of distribution is closely adjacent to, if not actually intermingled with, that 

 of G. pallidipes, Aust. It has not, therefore, seemed advisable to refer to the few 

 reports from those regions, owing to the possibility of these two species having 

 been confused. 



A large number of gentlemen have been so good as to respond to the series of 

 questions issued by the Committee. Amongst those who have answered at all 

 fully are the following : — 



NYAS ALAND. 



Mr. Henry Brown. 

 Mr. C. A. Cardew. 

 The Rev. H. A. M. Cox, 

 Mr. William Edwards. 

 Mr. D. Eraser. 

 Mr. R. S. Hynde. 

 Mr. G. F. Manning. 

 Mr. L. Murray. 



Dr. W. A. Murray. 



Dr. J. E. S. Old. 



Dr. E. H. Allon Pask. 



Mr. J. Percival. 



Dr. G. Prentice. 



Sir Alfred Sharpe, K.C.M.G 



Dr. H. S. Stannus. 



Northern Rhodesia, 



Mr. W. A. Rowell. 



The Rev. J. van Schalkwijk. 

 Mr. H. S. Thornicroft. 

 Mr. R. A. Young. 



Mr. A. L. Barnshaw. 

 Dr. W. Fisher. 

 Mr. H. Forsyth. 

 Mr. H. T. Harrington. 

 Mr. FI. C. Marshall. 



Although there is considerable conflict of evidence on some points in these 

 answers, some interesting data arise out of them. 



There would appear to be a fairly general consensus of opinion that, though it 

 is difficult to define with certainty the limits or character of a fly-area, it is 

 usually a region covered with fairly thin scrub or bush and at a moderately low 

 level. One observer however, Dr. Prentice, says " I have found morsitans in the 

 open country, in sparse bush, in dense jungle and in deep dark shade (such as 

 palpalis likes) by the water's edge." Others, such as Mr. Barnshaw, state 

 that it never occurs in " msitu," by which he means the patches of dense 

 forest which occur particularly over the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau and the 

 Awemba country. 



Most observers appear to be doubtful whether there is any marked seasonal 

 fluctuation of numbers of the fly. A large majority agree that the presence of 

 water is not essential to the well-being of this insect, whilst three gentlemen, 

 Drs. Pask and Murray and Mr. G. F. Manning, refer to the absence of this 

 species from a belt about half a mile wide along the south-west shore of 

 Lake Nyasa, a fact which had already been noticed by several other observers, 

 including the writer. 



