﻿AND 
  BIG 
  GAME 
  IN 
  S. 
  RHODESIA. 
  105] 
  

  

  and 
  subsequent 
  events 
  have 
  now 
  lent 
  their 
  support. 
  Even 
  to 
  suggest 
  any 
  other 
  

   possible 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  phenomena 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  difficulty 
  and 
  necessitates 
  

   an 
  appeal 
  to 
  the 
  possibilities 
  of 
  coincidence 
  that 
  few 
  would 
  care 
  to 
  place 
  upon 
  paper. 
  

  

  Apart 
  from 
  the 
  contradictory 
  reports 
  of 
  different 
  observers, 
  the 
  great 
  obstacle 
  to 
  

   the 
  acceptance 
  of 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  big 
  game 
  to 
  the 
  tsetse-fly 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  many 
  other 
  possible 
  sources 
  of 
  blood 
  than 
  the 
  ungulate 
  mammals 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  

   African 
  forests. 
  By 
  a 
  closer 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  matter, 
  however, 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  

   that 
  the 
  vast 
  bulk 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  not 
  fitted 
  to 
  be 
  relied 
  upon 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  Few 
  will 
  

   contend 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  possibility 
  of 
  invertebrate 
  animals, 
  such 
  as 
  caterpillars, 
  

   being 
  a 
  permanent 
  source 
  of 
  nourishment 
  to 
  the 
  tsetse. 
  Amongst 
  the 
  vertebrata 
  

   it 
  also 
  appears 
  from 
  the 
  researches 
  of 
  Kleine, 
  Roubaud 
  and 
  others, 
  that 
  an 
  exclusive 
  

   diet 
  of 
  reptilian 
  or 
  amphibian 
  blood, 
  or 
  even 
  a 
  mixed 
  diet 
  of 
  such 
  blood 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  

   mammals, 
  is 
  deleterious 
  to 
  the 
  species.* 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  G. 
  morsitans 
  

   such 
  a 
  supply 
  is 
  rarely 
  available, 
  as 
  the 
  fly 
  is 
  not 
  often 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  

   rivers 
  where 
  crocodiles 
  abound, 
  and 
  the 
  belts 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season 
  are 
  frequently 
  far 
  

   removed 
  from 
  water 
  of 
  any 
  sort, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  water-loving 
  reptiles, 
  such 
  as 
  Varanus 
  

   and 
  freshwater 
  Chelonia, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  most 
  amphibians, 
  are 
  not 
  available. 
  The 
  smaller 
  

   lizards, 
  including 
  chameleons, 
  are 
  more 
  likely 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  meal 
  of 
  tsetse 
  than 
  vice 
  versa, 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  terrestial 
  tortoises 
  are 
  too 
  scarce 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  account. 
  Amongst 
  the 
  

   mammals, 
  certain 
  orders, 
  namely 
  the 
  Insectivora, 
  Chiroptera 
  and 
  Edentata, 
  are 
  

   obviously 
  of 
  no 
  service 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  nocturnal 
  habits 
  and 
  the 
  seclusion 
  of 
  their 
  

   diurnal 
  retreats. 
  Certain 
  rodents, 
  such 
  as 
  hares, 
  may 
  serve 
  the 
  fly 
  for 
  a 
  meal 
  on 
  

   occasions, 
  but 
  the 
  order 
  can 
  be 
  of 
  but 
  little 
  importance 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  

   size 
  and 
  activity 
  of 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  its 
  members 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  largely 
  nocturnal 
  in 
  habit. 
  Of 
  the 
  larger 
  species 
  the 
  porcupine 
  (Hystrix) 
  is 
  

   entirely 
  nocturnal, 
  but 
  certain 
  squirrels 
  attain 
  a 
  size 
  not 
  greatly 
  inferior 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  

   rabbit 
  and 
  are 
  of 
  diurnal 
  habit. 
  The 
  larger 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  family 
  are, 
  however, 
  

   rarely 
  seen 
  in 
  country 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  tsetse. 
  No 
  doubt 
  the 
  larger 
  Carnivora 
  are 
  attacked 
  

   by 
  tsetse 
  when 
  they 
  enter 
  its 
  haunts, 
  but 
  their 
  numbers 
  are 
  relatively 
  so 
  small 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  practically 
  negligible. 
  Lions 
  and, 
  to 
  a 
  lesser 
  extent, 
  hyaenas, 
  are 
  also 
  depen- 
  

   dent 
  on 
  the 
  larger 
  ungulates 
  for 
  food, 
  and 
  desert 
  country 
  from 
  which 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  

   driven. 
  The 
  hunting 
  dog 
  (Lycaon) 
  is 
  always 
  migratory, 
  and 
  leopards 
  and 
  jackals, 
  

   in 
  addition 
  to 
  their 
  scarcity, 
  He 
  up 
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  The 
  smaller 
  Carnivora 
  — 
  Felidae, 
  

   Viverridae, 
  Mustelidae 
  — 
  are 
  also 
  practically 
  nocturnal, 
  and 
  from 
  their 
  alert 
  and 
  

   active 
  habits 
  are 
  unlikely 
  to 
  submit 
  to 
  be 
  fed 
  upon. 
  Anyone 
  may 
  note 
  the 
  intolerance 
  

   of 
  the 
  domestic 
  cat 
  to 
  the 
  attentions 
  of 
  Stomoxys 
  in 
  this 
  connexion. 
  It 
  would 
  seem, 
  

   therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  class 
  of 
  Mammalia, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  ungulates 
  and 
  

   certain 
  primates, 
  are 
  little 
  fitted 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  service 
  to 
  tsetse 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate. 
  The 
  

   smaller 
  antelopes 
  and 
  Quadrumana 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  later. 
  In 
  connexion 
  with 
  

   birds, 
  we 
  are 
  faced 
  with 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  tsetse 
  certainly 
  shows 
  no 
  dislike 
  to 
  avian 
  blood, 
  

   as 
  fowls 
  have 
  been 
  freely 
  used 
  to 
  feed 
  the 
  flies 
  (both 
  palpalis 
  and 
  morsitans) 
  in 
  

   confinement, 
  and 
  evidence 
  has 
  been 
  brought 
  forward 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  species 
  of 
  Glossina 
  

   at 
  least 
  occasionally 
  secure 
  a 
  meal 
  from 
  certain 
  birds 
  in 
  nature. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  

  

  * 
  [The 
  researches 
  referred 
  to 
  concerned 
  G. 
  palpalis 
  and 
  not 
  G. 
  morsitans 
  ; 
  moreover, 
  the 
  

   later 
  observations 
  of 
  Duke, 
  Carpenter 
  and 
  Fiske 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  conclusions 
  cited 
  are 
  

   probably 
  erroneous, 
  for 
  they 
  have 
  found 
  reptiles 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  highly 
  favoured 
  source 
  of 
  food 
  for 
  

   G. 
  palpalis 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions. 
  — 
  Ed.] 
  

  

  