50 OPERATION OF TSETSE POISON. 



away the mosquitos, which abound on the Mahabe and 

 Tamunak'le more than in any other part of the country. 

 The head-man of this village, Majane, seemed a little want- 

 ing in ability, but had had wit enough to promote a youngei 

 member of the family to the office. This person, the most 

 like the ugly negro of the tobacconists' shops I ever saw, 

 was called Moroa Majane, or son of Majane, and proved an 

 active guide across the river Sonta, and to the banks of 

 the Chobe, in the country of Sebituane. We had come 

 through another tsetse district by night, and at once passed 

 our cattle over to the northern bank to preserve them from 

 its ravages. 



A few remarks on the Tsetse, or Glossina morsitans, may 

 here be appropriate. It is not much larger than the com- 

 mon house-fly, and is nearly of the same brown color as 

 the common honey-bee; the after-part of the body has 

 three or four yellow bars across it; the wings project be- 

 yond this part considerably, and it is remarkably alert, 

 avoiding most dexterously all attempts to catch it with 

 the hand at common temperatures; in the cool of the morn- 

 ings and evenings it is less agile. Its peculiar buzz when 

 once heard can never be forgotten by the traveller whose 

 means of locomotion are domestic animals; for it is well 

 known that the bite of this poisonous insect is certain 

 death to the ox, horse, and dog. In this journey, though 

 we'were not aware of any great number having at any 

 time lighted on our cattle, we lost forty-three fine oxen by 

 its bite. We watched the animals carefully, and believe 

 that not a score of flies were ever upon them. 



A most remarkable feature in the bite of the tsetse is its 

 perfect harmlessness in man and wild animals, and even 

 calves so long as they continue to suok the cow. We 

 never experienced the slightest injury from them ourselves, 

 personally, although we lived two months in their habitat, 

 which was in this case as sharply defined as in many others, 

 for the south bank of the Chobe was infested by them, and 

 the northern bank, where our cattle were placed, only fifty 



