﻿87 
  

  

  SUGGESTIONS 
  FOR 
  THE 
  LIMITATION 
  AND 
  DESTRUCTION 
  OF 
  

   GLOSSINA 
  MORSITANS. 
  

  

  By 
  J. 
  0. 
  Shircoke, 
  M.B, 
  M.R.C.P.(Edin.) 
  

  

  Medical 
  Officer, 
  East 
  Africa 
  Protectorate. 
  

   (Sketch-Map.) 
  

  

  "Primary 
  Fly 
  Centres 
  " 
  : 
  Their 
  Influence 
  on 
  the 
  Distribution 
  of 
  G. 
  morsitans. 
  

  

  Several 
  months' 
  constant 
  travelling 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  proclaimed 
  area 
  " 
  has 
  led 
  the 
  writer 
  to 
  

   conclude 
  that 
  it 
  contains 
  at 
  least 
  four 
  " 
  primary 
  centres 
  " 
  which 
  harbour 
  tsetse-flies, 
  

   situated 
  as 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  map 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  No. 
  1, 
  opposite 
  Rifu, 
  near 
  Patsanjoka 
  Marsh 
  ; 
  

   No. 
  2, 
  W. 
  & 
  S.W. 
  of 
  Kuti 
  Marsh 
  ; 
  

   No. 
  3, 
  at 
  Nyansato 
  near 
  the 
  Chitawa 
  Marsh 
  ; 
  and 
  

  

  No. 
  4, 
  along 
  and 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Lingadsi 
  River, 
  between 
  Long. 
  38° 
  8' 
  and 
  

   34° 
  13' 
  E. 
  

  

  The 
  main 
  reasons 
  why 
  these 
  are 
  defined 
  as 
  " 
  primary 
  centres 
  " 
  are 
  : 
  (1) 
  Fly 
  are 
  

   found 
  here 
  abundantly 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  (2) 
  They 
  are 
  present 
  in 
  these 
  situations 
  

   when 
  there 
  are 
  none 
  or 
  extremely 
  few 
  elsewhere, 
  when 
  the 
  whole 
  country 
  is 
  bare 
  of 
  

   grass, 
  the 
  trees 
  without 
  foliage, 
  and 
  the 
  ground 
  baked 
  hard. 
  (3) 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  

   areas 
  where 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season 
  water 
  is 
  actually 
  above 
  the 
  earth's 
  surface 
  or 
  at 
  no 
  

   great 
  depth 
  below. 
  For 
  example, 
  at 
  the 
  Lingadsi 
  River 
  the 
  centre 
  is 
  almost 
  

   definitely 
  limited 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  moisture 
  in 
  the 
  river-bed. 
  At 
  Patsanjoka 
  

   the 
  water 
  is 
  present 
  throughout 
  the 
  dry 
  season. 
  At 
  Kuti 
  and 
  Chitawa 
  it 
  dries 
  

   late, 
  but 
  here 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  that 
  although 
  the 
  marshes 
  are 
  superficially 
  dry, 
  yet 
  during 
  

   late 
  October 
  and 
  early 
  November, 
  before 
  any 
  rain, 
  fresh 
  grass 
  already 
  springs 
  up 
  

   and 
  trees 
  begin 
  to 
  put 
  on 
  green 
  foliage 
  in 
  the 
  low-lying 
  country 
  near 
  the 
  marshes 
  ; 
  

   this 
  is 
  in 
  marked 
  contrast 
  to 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  e.g., 
  the 
  portions 
  between 
  

   Nsadzu, 
  Waya 
  and 
  Matumba 
  to 
  Mtalamanja, 
  that 
  being 
  somewhat 
  raised 
  undulating 
  

   broken 
  country 
  with 
  a 
  fairly 
  rocky 
  surface. 
  (4) 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  these 
  situations 
  that 
  the 
  fly 
  

   can 
  best 
  feed 
  during 
  the 
  long 
  season 
  of 
  drought 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  herds 
  of 
  eland 
  and 
  buffalo 
  

   at 
  the 
  Lingadsi 
  ; 
  waterbuck, 
  hartebeest 
  and 
  eland 
  at 
  Nyansato 
  ; 
  and 
  various 
  species 
  

   of 
  large 
  and 
  small 
  game 
  at 
  Patsanjoka 
  and 
  Kuti 
  dambos, 
  and 
  numbers 
  of 
  these 
  

   can 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  various 
  times 
  resting 
  in 
  the 
  shade 
  during 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  (5) 
  

   In 
  these 
  places 
  there 
  is 
  light 
  forest 
  with 
  fairly 
  short 
  grass, 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  open 
  glades, 
  

   and 
  water 
  at 
  no 
  great 
  distance, 
  a 
  combination 
  which 
  is 
  ideal 
  for 
  both 
  game 
  and 
  fly. 
  

   The 
  latter 
  feed 
  as 
  the 
  game 
  come 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  light 
  forest 
  enables 
  

   them 
  to 
  see 
  and 
  follow 
  the 
  game 
  without 
  difficulty. 
  Heavy 
  forest, 
  and 
  thick 
  high 
  

   grass 
  impede 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  tsetses, 
  and 
  moreover 
  they 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  see 
  any 
  distance. 
  

   They 
  are 
  sometimes 
  found 
  in 
  such 
  situations, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  any 
  numbers. 
  

  

  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  fly 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  centres 
  all 
  the 
  year 
  round 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  still 
  exist 
  there 
  at 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  when 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  or 
  

   none 
  elsewhere, 
  makes 
  it 
  quite 
  reasonable 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  they 
  breed 
  at 
  these 
  places, 
  

   and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  from 
  these 
  centres 
  that 
  they 
  extend 
  into 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country 
  along 
  

  

  