﻿108 
  RUPERT 
  W. 
  JACK 
  — 
  TSETSE 
  PLY 
  

  

  deductions 
  are 
  tentative 
  rather 
  than 
  conclusive. 
  The 
  sole 
  object 
  in 
  view 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  

   point 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  apparent 
  dependence 
  of 
  G. 
  morsitans 
  on 
  big 
  game 
  is 
  not 
  quite 
  such 
  

   an 
  inexplicable 
  phenomenon 
  as 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  first 
  sight. 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  tsetse-fly 
  

   at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  in 
  fact, 
  would 
  suggest 
  some 
  such 
  dependence. 
  

  

  A 
  further 
  experiment 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  whether 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  tsetse 
  

   can 
  be 
  checked 
  by 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  big 
  game 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  commenced 
  in 
  the 
  Sebungwe 
  

   district. 
  A 
  wide 
  belt 
  of 
  country, 
  bounded 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  by 
  the 
  Umniati 
  River 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  by 
  the 
  Sengwa, 
  has 
  been 
  declared 
  an 
  open 
  area 
  for 
  shooting. 
  The 
  open 
  area 
  

   embraces 
  the 
  fly-belts 
  shown 
  in 
  Map 
  I 
  between 
  these 
  rivers. 
  The 
  fly 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  

   spreading 
  across 
  this 
  area 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  east, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  desired 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  two 
  

   belts 
  meeting 
  and 
  embracing 
  the 
  Bumi 
  and 
  Sesame 
  rivers 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   number 
  of 
  native 
  kraals. 
  Observations 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  limits 
  and 
  abundance 
  

   of 
  the 
  tsetse, 
  and, 
  provided 
  that 
  the 
  suspension 
  of 
  the 
  game 
  laws 
  results 
  in 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  the 
  big 
  game 
  to 
  a 
  sufficient 
  extent, 
  the 
  experiment 
  should 
  certainly 
  

   yield 
  valuable 
  information. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  touched 
  upon, 
  namely, 
  the 
  

   theory 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  association 
  between 
  tsetse-fly 
  and 
  buffalo. 
  It 
  is 
  urged 
  by 
  those 
  

   who 
  support 
  this 
  theory 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  nearly 
  complete 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  

   apart 
  from 
  other 
  game, 
  by 
  the 
  rinderpest 
  that 
  was 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  reduction 
  of 
  

   fly 
  which 
  immediately 
  followed. 
  If 
  this 
  theory 
  is 
  still 
  tenable, 
  it 
  must 
  now 
  be 
  urged 
  

   that 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  fly 
  has 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  of 
  animal, 
  unless, 
  

   of 
  course, 
  it 
  is 
  suggested 
  that 
  the 
  progeny 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  that 
  survived 
  the 
  year 
  1896 
  have 
  

   acquired 
  new 
  habits, 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  merely 
  a 
  method 
  of 
  admitting 
  that 
  the 
  theory 
  

   no 
  longer 
  holds. 
  Whatever 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  position 
  before 
  the 
  rinderpest 
  — 
  and 
  

   buffalo 
  blood 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  most 
  easily 
  obtainable 
  food 
  of 
  tsetse 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  — 
  it 
  

   is 
  quite 
  certain 
  that 
  in 
  Southern 
  Rhodesia 
  to-day 
  the 
  fly 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  dependent 
  

   upon 
  this 
  species 
  of 
  animal. 
  Buffalo 
  was 
  at 
  one 
  time, 
  as 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  extremely 
  

   abundant 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  territory, 
  but 
  whatever 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  reason* 
  its 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  have 
  not 
  increased 
  since 
  the 
  rinderpest 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  proportion 
  as 
  the 
  various 
  

   species 
  of 
  antelopes. 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   was 
  more 
  nearly 
  complete 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  species 
  of 
  antelope, 
  or 
  to 
  some 
  other 
  cause 
  ; 
  

   but 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  buffalo 
  is 
  not 
  generally 
  met 
  with 
  throughout 
  the 
  territory. 
  

   Herds 
  occur 
  in 
  certain 
  parts, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  species 
  it 
  is 
  distinctly 
  local. 
  Were 
  buffalo 
  

   of 
  vital 
  importance 
  to 
  tsetse, 
  herds 
  would 
  occur 
  in 
  some 
  abundance 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   fly-infested 
  country 
  ; 
  but, 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  there 
  are 
  great 
  belts 
  of 
  country 
  infested 
  

   with 
  fly 
  in 
  which 
  buffalo 
  is 
  rarely 
  or 
  never 
  heard 
  of, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sebungwe 
  belt 
  lying 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Sengwa 
  river, 
  the 
  biggest 
  and 
  most 
  thickly 
  infested 
  

   fly-area 
  in 
  this 
  territory. 
  Buffalo 
  does 
  occur 
  in 
  parts 
  of 
  this 
  belt, 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  

   reaches 
  of 
  the 
  Busi 
  River, 
  where 
  tsetse 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  thick 
  indeed. 
  In 
  

   October 
  1912, 
  also, 
  the 
  writer 
  saw 
  traces 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  herd 
  at 
  Manzituba, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  

   not 
  a 
  haunt 
  of 
  the 
  animal, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  herd 
  was 
  only 
  passing 
  

   through, 
  probably 
  towards 
  the 
  Busi. 
  The 
  writer 
  could 
  find 
  no 
  traces 
  of 
  buffalo 
  at 
  

   this 
  spot 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  and 
  could 
  obtain 
  no 
  information 
  of 
  its 
  occurrence 
  there 
  

   from 
  either 
  white 
  men 
  or 
  natives. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  herd 
  on 
  the 
  Gadzi 
  River, 
  near 
  its 
  

   junction 
  with 
  the 
  Sesame, 
  where 
  fly 
  is 
  present 
  in 
  small 
  quantity 
  only. 
  Buffalo 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  species 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  protected 
  under 
  the 
  Game 
  Laws. 
  

  

  