50 R. NEWSTEAD—THE PAPATACI FLIES (PHLEBOTOMUS) 
failure was the result. As to the detection of the ova in a state of nature I 
believe this to be a practical impossibility, as when laid upon dark substances 
they become absolutely invisible and can be detected only by the aid of a 
microscope. Even when laid in captivity in confined areas they are most difficult 
to detect, and under the most favourable conditions can be seen only when laid 
upon colourless or transparent surfaces such as white paper or the surface of a 
elass tube. 
HABITS AND OCCURRENCE OF THE ADULT FLIES. 
Though so evasive in their early stages, the adult flies may be found almost 
everywhere throughout the Island in favourable situations or localities. They 
outnumber the mosquitos, and the females may he included among the most 
vicious of all the blood-sucking Arthropods. They are distinctly “domestic ” 
in their habits and may be considered among the most detestable of all 
man’s “uninvited guests.” It is a curious fact, however, that they have their 
likes and dislikes both in regard to hosts and habitats. I can fortunately place 
myself among the small numbers of those who have proved immune to the bites 
of these blood-sucking pests ; or at least I have never consciously experienced 
the effect of their bites, any more than I have in the case of Pulew trritans, 
And this is all the more extraordinary because fresh comers to the Island, 
especially children, generally suffer torture from the bites of these imsects, and 
many cases are admitted to the hospitals through the infection which the Papataci 
flies are known to convey. To say the least, they are an intolerable nuisance in’ 
every part of the world in which they are known to occur. Man is evidently, 
not the only vertebrate which these insects attack, as examples were frequently 
found which had filled themselves to repletion with the blood of the domesticated 
rabbit ; so that it is evident that they are not entirely dependent upon man for 
food and the probabilities are that they subsist and flourish on any of the warm- 
blooded animals when man is not available. 
My experience with regard to the favoured haunts of these flies is almost 
precisely the same as that of other investigators. In certain parts of the island 
they were found to be abundant, while in others, for some unaccountable reason, 
they occurred very sparingly, though the conditions necessary for breeding 
purposes, especially stone walls, abounded everywhere. In badly infested 
regions, too, they favoured certain dwellings much more than others ; of two 
houses occupying the same aspect and surroundings, ora section of the same block 
or street, one was often found to be infested while the other was rarely visited, 
It was noted also that there was a marked domiciliary distribution in many 
houses. Bedrooms on the first floor, especially those occupying a position on 
the lee or sheltered side of the house, were particularly favoured, while those on 
the opposite side of the building were rarely visited; and rooms at a greater 
elevation (second floor), which I had under close observation for a considerable 
time, were only once found to contain a single example. 
The naval and military camps at Ghain-Tuffeiha afforded also a remarkable 
instance of the local distribution of these flies, the naval camp on one 
side of the plain being badly infested, while the other and more extensive 
camp was said to be practically free from the invasion of Phlebotomus. This 
