﻿18 
  JAS. 
  J. 
  SIMPSON 
  — 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  

  

  Stomoxys 
  calcitrans 
  ; 
  fish 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  this 
  may 
  account 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  

   extent 
  for 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  mosquitoes. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  Konkoma 
  to 
  Coomassie 
  is 
  round 
  the 
  lake 
  shore, 
  

   then 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  steep 
  ascent 
  over 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  hills 
  ; 
  but 
  after 
  that 
  the 
  road 
  is 
  undu- 
  

   lating, 
  through 
  heavy 
  forest. 
  Glossina 
  palpalis 
  was 
  caught 
  at 
  Jakye, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  

   the 
  only 
  blood-sucking 
  insect 
  seen 
  during 
  this 
  trek. 
  

  

  It 
  must 
  be 
  remembered, 
  however, 
  that 
  this 
  journey 
  was 
  accomplished 
  between 
  

   January 
  1st 
  and 
  21st, 
  at 
  the 
  very 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  when 
  insect 
  life 
  

   is 
  at 
  its 
  minimum. 
  

  

  (4.) 
  Coomassie 
  to 
  Tamale. 
  

  

  A 
  general 
  description 
  of 
  Coomassie 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  on 
  page 
  4. 
  Its 
  great 
  import- 
  

   ance 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  capital 
  of 
  Ashanti, 
  the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  

   African 
  Frontier 
  Force 
  and 
  the 
  terminus 
  of 
  the 
  Sekondi-Coomassie 
  Railway. 
  It 
  is 
  

   also 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  important 
  trading 
  centre. 
  Blood-sucking 
  flies 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  

   abundant 
  in 
  Coomassie, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  noteworthy 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  prolific 
  genus 
  is 
  Stomoxys 
  ; 
  

   no 
  fewer 
  than 
  five 
  species, 
  namely, 
  calcitrans, 
  brunnipes, 
  inornata, 
  nigra 
  and 
  omega 
  

   have 
  been 
  caught 
  there. 
  Other 
  blood-sucking 
  flies 
  are 
  Chrysops 
  longicornis 
  and 
  

   Tabanus 
  thor 
  acinus. 
  

  

  Over 
  60 
  ponies 
  were 
  quartered 
  in 
  Coomassie 
  during 
  my 
  stay 
  there, 
  and 
  this 
  may 
  

   account 
  for 
  the 
  preponderance 
  of 
  Stomoxys, 
  which 
  is 
  essentially 
  a 
  stable 
  fly. 
  Several 
  

   of 
  these 
  ponies 
  had 
  trypanosomiasis, 
  but 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  this 
  disease 
  was 
  con- 
  

   tracted 
  before 
  their 
  arrival 
  at 
  the 
  station. 
  Treatment 
  with 
  atoxyl 
  by 
  mouth 
  and 
  

   injection 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  good 
  results. 
  An 
  occasional 
  tsetse 
  has 
  been 
  caught 
  in 
  

   Coomassie, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  these 
  were 
  transported 
  there. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  cattle 
  are 
  brought 
  into 
  Coomassie 
  daily 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  

   these 
  are 
  generally 
  covered 
  with 
  Hippobosca 
  maculata, 
  which 
  rise 
  from 
  them 
  in 
  

   clouds 
  ; 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  also 
  carry 
  numerous 
  ticks, 
  chiefly 
  Amblyomma 
  variegatum. 
  

   Dr. 
  Montgomery, 
  the 
  Provincial 
  Medical 
  Oflicer 
  examines 
  the 
  blood 
  of 
  all 
  those 
  

   killed 
  for 
  the 
  butcher, 
  and 
  from 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  states 
  that 
  fully 
  eighty 
  

   per 
  cent, 
  are 
  infested 
  with 
  trypanosomes. 
  

  

  From 
  Coomassie 
  to 
  Ejura 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  well-made 
  road 
  suitable 
  for 
  motor 
  traffic. 
  

   It 
  passes 
  to 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  of 
  Ejura 
  through 
  dense 
  primeval 
  forest, 
  but 
  near 
  the 
  

   latter 
  place, 
  after 
  the 
  River 
  Afram 
  is 
  crossed, 
  a 
  long 
  steep 
  ridge 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  traversed, 
  

   and 
  this 
  marks 
  the 
  transition 
  from 
  rain 
  forest 
  to 
  savannah 
  forest. 
  From 
  this 
  ridge 
  

   miles 
  of 
  surrounding 
  country 
  can 
  be 
  seen, 
  covered 
  with 
  grass 
  interspersed 
  with 
  

   clusters 
  of 
  Borassus 
  palms 
  and 
  widely 
  separated 
  decidous 
  trees. 
  The 
  first 
  rest-house 
  

   on 
  this 
  road 
  is 
  at 
  Kona 
  and 
  there 
  sand-flies 
  (Culicoides 
  grahami) 
  were 
  extremely 
  

   abundant. 
  They 
  seldom 
  trouble 
  one 
  before 
  4 
  p.m. 
  and 
  generally 
  disappear 
  about 
  7 
  

   p.m. 
  Hippobosca 
  maculata 
  and 
  Amblyomma 
  variegatum 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  

   cattle 
  which 
  pass 
  along 
  this 
  road 
  in 
  large 
  herds 
  en 
  route 
  for 
  Coomassie. 
  

  

  At 
  Mampon 
  Culicoides 
  grahami 
  was 
  also 
  abundant, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  cattle, 
  in 
  addition 
  

   to 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  tick 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  Boophilus 
  decoloratus 
  was 
  also 
  found. 
  

   Several 
  Hippobosca 
  maculata 
  were 
  seen 
  on 
  my 
  pony 
  and 
  a 
  bug 
  Clinocoris 
  hemiptera 
  

   (Cimex 
  rotundatus), 
  was 
  obtained 
  in 
  a 
  native 
  hut.: 
  Not 
  far 
  from 
  Mampon 
  Glossina, 
  

   palpalis 
  was 
  found 
  near 
  a 
  stream. 
  The 
  only 
  blood-sucking 
  fly 
  seen 
  between 
  Mam- 
  

   pon 
  and 
  Edijan, 
  was 
  Hippobosca 
  maculata. 
  Between 
  Edijan 
  and 
  Ejura, 
  at 
  the 
  River 
  

  

  