THE SIRIKWA 
267 
and to my surprise found it struggling on the ground with a 
brownish yellow fly, about the size and shape of a house-fly, 
clinging to the under side of its body. This fly continually 
got its legs round the ant’s wings and held it ; it appeared to 
be sucking the upper part of the abdomen where it joins the 
thorax. 
I noticed several specimens of the fly similarly "preying on 
these insects. One of the flies would come up behind an ant, 
quickly turn upside down and fasten on its quarry. I have 
recorded this occurrence because I have not heard that any 
other observer has noted it. The point that puzzled me was 
that the fly did not appear to possess a proboscis for piercing, 
but only a sucker. I was also surprised to find a fly so lively 
on a cold, rainy morning. 
I have sent what I believe to be a male and a female to the 
Museum for identification. 
[Note . — The Government Entomologist is of opinion that 
this predatory insect was an Asilid or robber fly. — Editor.] 
THE SIRIKWA 
By C. M. Dobbs 
Some considerable time ago the country where the Lumbwa 
or Kipsikis are now found was inhabited by a tribe called the 
Sirikwa. It is very hard to discover at what actual date they 
lived here, as all that the present generation know about them 
has been learnt from previous generations of old men, but 
I am inclined to think that they do not date back very far. 
They are stated to have resembled in certain ways the Watende, 
and when they left the present Lumbwa country to have gone 
across the Sondu River close to Ngoino Hill towards Kisii. 
This tribe has left many marks behind in the shape of large 
circular holes in the ground which are found all through the 
