RESEARCH IN BRITISH WEST AFRICA. 207 
The road ran through the middle of this area, and on my arrival the baboons 
scattered to both sides. While passing over the ground recently occupied by 
them, the pony was badly attacked by tsetse, which had evidently followed the 
baboons to the open ground; many of them were gorged with blood and could 
fly only with difficulty. On three occasions during my tour in the Gambia, have 
I witnessed this phenomenon ; namely, the predilection of Glossina morsitans for 
following a troop of baboons, even in the heat of the day, from their shady 
retreats into the open. At Buiba, the following blood-sucking flies were 
captured :—Glossina morsitans, Tabanus taeniola, and Tabanus ditaeniatus, all 
around the pony between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. 
At Soma, Glossina morsitans, Tabanus taeniola and T. par were caught 
between 3 and 4 p.m. The road from Soma to Kaiaft lies through open bush, 
but there are two swamps containing large pools of stagnant water; these are 
fringed with dense bush and seemed likely places for Glossina palpalis. None, 
however, were seen, but (. morsitans occurs all along the route. 
I spent a day at Kaiaff and examined the whole of this vicinity. Near the 
swamps, there are numerous rice farms surrounded by thin bush and scanty 
undergrowth, and here G. morsitans exists in considerable numbers. Other 
blood-sucking flies caught at Kaiaff were :— Tabanus taeniola, Tabanus ditaeniatus 
and Tabanus par, all very abundant in the stables. Between Kaiaffand Mandina, 
the country is open and almost completely cultivated the whole way. At Generi, 
a small town about 3 miles from Kaiaff, Glossina morsitans was caught, but at 
Mandina the only blood-sucking fly seen was Tabanus taeniola. From Mandina 
to Quinella, the road lies through cultivated country with thin bush, but there 
are two swamps both surrounded with thick vegetation and high shady trees. 
Not far from Mandina, a single specimen of Chrysops lonzicornis, the only one 
seen during my tour, was obtained. 
From Quinella I went to Tendaba, a landing-stage on the river about three 
miles from Quinella, to await the Government steamer from Bathurst, as by this 
means it was possible for me to examine the Bintang Creek. At Tendaba I 
remained for two days and so had an opportunity of finding out more exactly the 
facts as to the occurrence and habits of blood-sucking flies at such landing-stages. 
There are no European factories here, but it is a recognized calling place for 
launches passing up and down the river. Considerable trade is, however, carried 
on by the natives, and a large quantity of ground nuts is shipped here on board 
schooners for Bathurst. The landing stage itself is at the end of a laterite 
escarpment, and consequently the bush in the immediate vicinity is very sparse, 
but the bank of the river, except for a clearing of less than 100 yards, is fringed 
with mangroves. The following blood-sucking flies were abundant :— Glossina 
palpalis, Stomoxys nigra, S. calcitrans, Lyperosia minuta, Tabanus taeniola and 
T. ditaeniatus. Glossina palpalis swarmed practically the whole day, but were 
not so numerous between 1 and 3 p.m. At no hour of the day from 7 a.m. to 
6.30 p.m. was it possible to sit down without being persistently attacked by these 
insects, and when one did sit down it was necessary to have a boy with a 
“ horse-tail”” keeping a sharp look-out, especially round one’s legs and ankles. 
Stomoxys and Lyperosia reserved their attentions for the horses, but were not 
very troublesome until after 3 or 4 p.m., when they were a source of great 
