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  THE 
  TABANIDAE 
  OF 
  SOUTHERN 
  NYASALAND 
  WITH 
  NOTES 
  ON 
  

   THEIR 
  LIFE-HISTORIES. 
  

  

  By 
  S. 
  A. 
  Neave, 
  M.A., 
  B.Sc, 
  Oxon. 
  

   (Plates 
  XXVII-XXXI.) 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  notes 
  on 
  Tabanidae 
  describe 
  specimens 
  collected 
  and 
  life-histories 
  

   investigated 
  during 
  a 
  recent 
  visit 
  to 
  Southern 
  Nyasaland 
  on 
  behalf 
  of 
  the 
  Imperial 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology. 
  

  

  My 
  headquarters 
  camp 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  Luchenya 
  River, 
  some 
  three 
  miles 
  from 
  

   the 
  S.W. 
  corner 
  of 
  Mt. 
  Mlanje. 
  Though 
  expeditions 
  were 
  made, 
  westward 
  to 
  the 
  

   Shire 
  River 
  and 
  southward 
  and 
  eastward 
  into 
  Portuguese 
  territory, 
  the 
  great 
  bulk 
  

   of 
  the 
  specimens 
  were 
  collected 
  or 
  bred 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  this 
  mountain. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  highest 
  mountain 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Africa, 
  and, 
  being 
  isolated, 
  it 
  

   has 
  a 
  somewhat 
  ' 
  peculiar 
  fauna. 
  The 
  rainfall 
  is 
  exceptionally 
  heavy 
  in 
  its 
  

   neighbourhood, 
  in 
  most 
  years 
  from 
  90-100 
  inches, 
  though 
  the 
  area 
  over 
  which 
  

   this 
  occurs 
  is 
  defined 
  in 
  a 
  remarkable 
  manner, 
  being 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  southern 
  and 
  

   south-eastern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  narrow 
  belt 
  some 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  miles 
  wide 
  

   alongside 
  them. 
  The 
  other 
  slopes 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  only 
  receive 
  some 
  

   35 
  inches 
  of 
  rain, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  normal 
  rainfall 
  for 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country. 
  

   This 
  peculiar 
  state 
  of 
  affairs 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  rain-clouds 
  come 
  up 
  from 
  

   the 
  south 
  or 
  south-east, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  their 
  moisture 
  is 
  precipitated 
  on 
  those 
  

   aspects 
  of 
  the 
  mountain. 
  The 
  flora 
  within 
  this 
  rain-belt 
  is 
  characterised 
  especially 
  

   by 
  the 
  much 
  greater 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  the 
  tendency 
  to 
  produce 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   dense 
  forest, 
  which 
  has, 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  at 
  least, 
  clothed 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  these 
  slopes 
  

   and 
  the 
  foot-hills 
  of 
  the 
  mountain. 
  

  

  Mt. 
  Mlanje 
  is 
  nearly 
  10,000 
  feet 
  high, 
  but 
  the 
  main 
  peak 
  rises 
  from 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  rolling 
  plateaus 
  averaging 
  about 
  6,500 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level. 
  These 
  plateaus 
  

   are 
  largely 
  open 
  country, 
  covered 
  with 
  short 
  grass, 
  the 
  hollows 
  and 
  banks 
  of 
  streams 
  

   being 
  generally 
  covered 
  with 
  dense 
  forest. 
  The 
  next 
  stage 
  in 
  descent 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  steep 
  

   main 
  escarpment 
  of 
  the 
  mountain, 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  consisting 
  of 
  sheer 
  precipices, 
  

   but 
  containing 
  in 
  its 
  hollows 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  forest 
  ; 
  this 
  descends 
  to 
  an 
  elevation 
  

   of 
  about 
  2,400 
  feet. 
  From 
  this 
  point, 
  which 
  is 
  practically 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  mountain, 
  

   is 
  an 
  area 
  sloping 
  gradually 
  down 
  to 
  2,000 
  feet, 
  which 
  on 
  its 
  south 
  and 
  south-eastern 
  

   sides 
  is 
  heavily 
  timbered 
  for 
  some 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  miles. 
  Beyond 
  this 
  again 
  is 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   woodland 
  and 
  bush 
  country, 
  interspersed 
  with 
  small 
  grassy 
  plains, 
  which 
  is 
  

   characteristic 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Africa. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  localities 
  — 
  viz., 
  the 
  plateau 
  at 
  6,500 
  feet 
  — 
  produced 
  but 
  few 
  

   Tabanidae. 
  A 
  rather 
  dark 
  form 
  of 
  T. 
  taeniola 
  variatus, 
  Wlk., 
  which 
  occurred 
  

   in 
  some 
  numbers 
  in 
  November, 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  representative 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Tabanus 
  

   found 
  there. 
  As 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  larger 
  mountains 
  of 
  Eastern 
  Tropical 
  

   Africa, 
  the 
  genus 
  Haematopota 
  was 
  represented 
  by 
  large, 
  heavily-marked 
  species, 
  

   a 
  large 
  dark 
  form 
  of 
  H. 
  distincta, 
  Ric, 
  being 
  very 
  common, 
  and 
  accompanied 
  by 
  

   a 
  few 
  examples 
  of 
  another, 
  perhaps 
  new 
  species, 
  somewhat 
  resembling 
  it. 
  

  

  