273 
NOTES ON THE BLOOD-SUCKING FLIES OF OSHOGBO AND 
ILESHA DISTRICTS, SOUTHERN NIGERIA. 
By Dr. T. F. G. Mayer, W.A.MS. 
(MAP.) 
The Oshogbo and Ilesha districts of Southern Nigeria are contiguous and are 
situated in the north-east corner of the Western Province. They are bounded on 
the north and east by Northern Nigeria, on the west by the Oyo district, and on 
the south by the Ibadan and Ondo districts of the Western Province, and by a 
small part of the Central Province. 
Politically, these districts are separate, the Government headquarters being 
at Oshogbo and Iesha respectively, and it is in them that the majority of the 
biting flies mentioned below have been caught; at Ilesha by Capt. L. HE. H. 
Humfrey and Capt. A. H. Blair, and at Oshogbo by myself. 
The Oshogbo Residency is situated on a hill a mile from the native town. 
A clearing in the bush for about 100 yards round the house has been planted 
with Bahama grass. 
The esha Residency is also situated on the top of a hill, a very steep one, 
rising 700 feet above the surrounding country. It is about 2,000 feet above sea 
level. The base of this hill is thickly clothed with forest, but the summit has 
been cleared and planted with Bahama grass and gardens. The country to the 
north and east of Ilesha is very hilly and is clothed with thick forest, but west 
and south of Ilesha it is more open, having been cleared largely for farming, and 
is gently undulating. It will be seen on referring to the map that all this district 
is high ground, forming as it does the watershed for rivers flowing in every 
direction. 
The tables below show the flies that have been caught in the two places. 
They are only of positive value, that is te say blanks must not be taken to mean 
that the fly is not present. 
The rainy season begins in March and lasts till the end of October. No rain 
fell during November, December, January and February. 
The collections of Capt. L. E. H. Humfrey and Capt. A. H. Blair, from 
Tlesha, have been sent during the year to the Entomological Research Committee, 
together with mine frora Oshogbo, and all the identifications have been received 
from the Committee, with the exception of some specimens sent in June, July 
and August, 1910, to Dr. W. M. Graham, of the Medical Research Institute, 
Yaba, near Lagos. The results are shown in the tables following. 
