37 6 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
large and brown in colour found in the thick grass near to rivers or lakes in a 
low-lying country. This creature is called by the Portuguese “ Mosquito manso,” 
or “ the tame mosquito,” it being too sluggish to elude capture, especially when 
gorged with blood. This, in my opinion, almost adds to the original injury of 
its puncture because the disagreeable insect allows itself to be smashed, leaving 
a smear of blood. Then there is the ordinary grey mosquito (whose bite is the 
most venomous), a tiny little black mosquito, and a species of gnat found close 
to rivers, which is barred grey and white, and has plume-like antennse. For¬ 
tunately in the Shire Highlands and on all lands well above 3000 feet—and 
most of the superfices of British Central Africa lies above this altitude—the 
mosquito is almost entirely absent. This is of itself an enormous gain to com¬ 
fort in living. On the River Shire, on some (but not all) parts of the coast 
lands of Lake Nyasa and around the south end of Tanganyika, mosquitoes are 
bad, though here again their presence depends a good deal on the condition of 
the adjacent country. If this is one mass of unkempt vegetation, especially 
lush grass, then mosquitoes will swarm ; but as soon as the land is cleared and 
cultivated and the rank bush is kept under the mosquitoes lessen in numbers 
and even in some cases disappear. When we first occupied the ground on 
which Fort Johnston stands at the south end of Lake Nyasa, mosquitoes made 
life almost impossible, especially in the evening. At this time if anyone walked 
out in a few minutes his neck was covered with blood and black with 
mosquitoes. Dinner was only possible in the midst of thick smoke from 
burning weeds. Yet nowadays mosquitoes in this same place are a negligeable 
quantity. At some seasons of the year they disappear altogether and at other 
times are met with in such small numbers that their presence is not much 
remarked. Undoubtedly the mosquito is a source of ill-health in Africa. 
Apart from the maddening irritation caused by its bites it would appear to 
introduce some unwholesome substance, and when the person bitten is in a poor 
state of health the mosquito-bites turn to ulcers which are difficult to heal until 
the sufferer is removed to a healthy locality. As a rule one receives fewer 
mosquito-bites in a native hut than in a tent because they strongly dislike the 
smoke of the wood fires, which are burned in every native dwelling. 
Midges are very troublesome in certain places, especially localities near the 
river. They are even found high up on the hillsides. During the rainy season 
at Zomba it is difficult to sit out of doors and paint or read without having 
an attendant present with a fan to keep the midges away or without burning 
incense (as I used to do), the fumes of which drive them away. 1 
Although the sand-fly is so minute as to be not much larger than a flea its 
bite raises a large white weal and is more painful than that of the mosquito. 
The horse or “hippo” fly is a handsome insect of bronze-green and chestnut- 
brown and is of large size. It is not much of a pest in the highlands but 
swarms along the banks of all large rivers. It is easily killed by a smart blow 
when it settles and is about to probe with its sharp proboscis. If it succeeds 
in piercing the skin it raises a large red lump which is irritable and sore for 
some days. 
The gad-flies are more annoying to beasts than to men ; a horse will come 
in dripping with blood from their attacks after a ride through the grass during 
the rainy season. 
1 Incense as a pleasant protection from noxious insects is well worth carrying to Central Africa. It 
is much used by the Arabs and consequently can be bought readily at Zanzibar. Its fumes, thrown 
on hot embers, are not only very agreeable to one’s sense of smell but drive away mosquitoes, midges and 
most other insects. 
