﻿GLOSSINA 
  MORSITANS 
  IN 
  NORTHERN 
  RHODESIA. 
  55 
  

  

  (6) 
  A 
  mole 
  rat 
  (Georychus), 
  a 
  burrowing 
  rodent 
  with 
  inconspicuous 
  eyes, 
  no 
  

  

  pinnae 
  and 
  protuding 
  incisors, 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  jar 
  with 
  ten 
  flies. 
  The 
  

   animal 
  showed 
  violent 
  agitation, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  sluggish 
  movements 
  

   had 
  difficulty 
  in 
  catching 
  the 
  flies 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  an 
  hour 
  two 
  had 
  fed 
  

   well 
  and 
  six 
  had 
  been 
  killed. 
  In 
  repetitions 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  thirteen 
  

   more 
  flies 
  were 
  used 
  of 
  which 
  five 
  succeeded 
  in 
  feeding. 
  

  

  (7) 
  A 
  species 
  of 
  dormouse 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  jar 
  with 
  five 
  flies 
  ; 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  flies 
  

  

  attempted 
  to 
  feed, 
  but 
  all 
  were 
  caught 
  and 
  eaten. 
  The 
  experiment 
  was 
  

   repeated 
  twice 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  result. 
  

  

  (8) 
  Five 
  flies 
  were 
  placed 
  with 
  a 
  shrew 
  (Crocidura 
  sp.) 
  and 
  were 
  all 
  quickly 
  caught 
  

  

  and 
  eaten. 
  

  

  (9) 
  A 
  young 
  banded 
  mongoose 
  (Crossarchus 
  sp.) 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  jar 
  with 
  ten 
  

  

  flies. 
  One 
  fly 
  settled 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  commenced 
  to 
  feed, 
  but 
  was 
  at 
  

   once 
  scratched 
  off 
  and 
  eaten 
  ; 
  the 
  others 
  were 
  quickly 
  caught 
  and 
  devoured. 
  

  

  B. 
  With 
  birds. 
  

  

  (10) 
  Only 
  one 
  experiment 
  was 
  carried 
  out 
  with 
  a 
  bird. 
  A 
  fowl 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  

  

  large 
  cage 
  (36 
  in. 
  by 
  18 
  in. 
  by 
  18 
  in.) 
  and 
  20 
  flies 
  were 
  introduced. 
  The 
  

   fowl 
  was 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  food, 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  morning 
  all 
  the 
  

   flies 
  had 
  been 
  eaten. 
  

  

  C. 
  With 
  reptiles. 
  

  

  (11) 
  A 
  skink 
  lizard, 
  five 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  fly 
  tube 
  with 
  three 
  flies. 
  

  

  All 
  attempted 
  to 
  feed 
  and 
  one 
  fed 
  full. 
  By 
  the 
  following 
  morning 
  two 
  

   had 
  been 
  eaten 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  was 
  eaten 
  later. 
  

  

  (12) 
  Three 
  flies 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  fly 
  tube 
  with 
  a 
  young 
  gecko. 
  On 
  the 
  following 
  

  

  day 
  one 
  had 
  fed. 
  The 
  others 
  did 
  not 
  feed 
  during 
  the 
  two 
  following 
  days. 
  

   The 
  lizard 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  small 
  did 
  not 
  attempt 
  to 
  catch 
  them. 
  

  

  (13) 
  A 
  chameleon 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  jar 
  with 
  ten 
  flies, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  fed 
  at 
  once, 
  

  

  while 
  others 
  attempted 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  ; 
  all 
  were 
  eaten 
  later. 
  Four 
  repetitions 
  

   of 
  the 
  experiment 
  gave 
  similar 
  results. 
  

  

  D. 
  With 
  Amphibia. 
  

  

  (14) 
  Experiments 
  were 
  carried 
  out 
  with 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  toad 
  and 
  45 
  flies. 
  In 
  

  

  each 
  case 
  the 
  flies 
  became 
  quickly 
  incapacitated 
  by 
  the 
  skin 
  secretions 
  

   and 
  urine 
  which 
  was 
  splashed 
  about 
  the 
  jar. 
  Both 
  toads 
  showed 
  extreme 
  

   irritation 
  at 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  flies. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  under 
  which 
  the 
  experiments 
  were 
  carried 
  out 
  were 
  very 
  artificial, 
  

   the 
  animals, 
  and 
  still 
  more 
  the 
  flies, 
  being 
  eager 
  to 
  escape. 
  It 
  is 
  apparent 
  however 
  that 
  

   the 
  tsetse 
  is 
  willing 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  smaller 
  animals. 
  On 
  the 
  more 
  active 
  ones 
  it 
  would 
  

   have 
  little 
  chance 
  of 
  obtaining 
  a 
  meal 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  alert. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  mam- 
  

   mals 
  are 
  nocturnal 
  and 
  spend 
  their 
  days 
  sleeping 
  in 
  hiding 
  places 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  same 
  

   in 
  many 
  cases 
  as 
  those 
  which 
  the 
  tsetse 
  haunts. 
  This 
  applies 
  also 
  to 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  nocturnal 
  birds. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  common 
  experience 
  to 
  see 
  tsetses 
  fly 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  burrow 
  

   in 
  the 
  ground 
  or 
  a 
  hollow 
  in 
  a 
  tree, 
  while 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  pupae 
  which 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  

   such 
  positions 
  show 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  much 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  female 
  flies. 
  When 
  asleep, 
  

   such 
  animals 
  would 
  probably 
  form 
  a 
  ready 
  prey 
  to 
  the 
  fly, 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  man 
  

   and 
  the 
  mosquito. 
  When 
  awake, 
  man 
  rarely 
  allows 
  mosquitos 
  to 
  feed 
  full 
  upon 
  him, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  occurrence 
  to 
  find 
  them 
  fully 
  fed 
  inside 
  a 
  mosquito 
  curtain 
  in 
  the 
  

   morning. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  possible 
  that 
  these 
  small 
  animals 
  supply 
  a 
  larger 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  tsetse-fly 
  than 
  is 
  generally 
  supposed. 
  

  

  