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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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The cases of the remaining six were considered individually, and the following conclusions were arrived at :—

Mr. Waterston was exempt from military service, and two other officers had been twice rejected on medical grounds.

Dr. Lamborn had recently returned from East Africa and was now on leave. On Mr. Read's suggestion it was decided to hold his case over with a view to his employment with the military forces in East Africa, when he had had an adequate holiday. Dr. Marshall said that the attempt to make use of Dr. Lamborn's special qualifications in connexion with the campaign against German East Africa had proved a failure, no notice being taken of any of his recommendations. He The Sub-Committee promised to send in Dr. Lamborn's report on the subject.

felt that, in view of the attitude taken up by the War Office, it was of little use to press entomologists on the Army authorities. It was possible, however, that some national work directly bearing on the War might be found for some members of the Bureau staff (e.g., Mr. Ealand) through Professor Lefroy, or at the Board of Agriculture; otherwise the best course would be to wait for the inauguration of part time National Service. Mr. Ealand was the only man who could be spared for purely military service; but, before agreeing to this course, it should first be ascertained whether there was any prospect of his scientific attainments being put to practical use.

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(No. 1.)

No. 77.

DR. W. A. LAMBORN to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received 30th April, 1917.)

SIR,

Littlemore, near Oxford, 8th February, 1917. I HAVE the honour now to submit, as requested, a report on my entomological work while under the direction of the military authorities in East Africa.

2. I reached Kilindini from Nyasaland in late March, 1916, and was forthwith sent to Taveta, a military base, assurance being given that my military position would then be defined. However, I found no one in authority there having any knowledge of me; and my position, that of the only civilian at an enormous military base, being absolutely untenable, I proceeded to Nairobi, on the advice of the Base Commandant, and reported myself to the Deputy Director of Veterinary Services, who, on my pointing out the entire impracticability of attempting to do any work in the field as a civilian, informed me that the matter had not rested with the local military authorities, for instructions had been given by the War Office that I was not to be afforded military rank.

Towards the end of the month the matter was rectified, and on 28th April I set out once again, this time with honorary rank as captain in the East African Veterinary Corps, having instructions to report to the Assistant Director of Veterinary Services at Himo. By him I was referred to the General Headquarters Staff at Moshi, in German East Africa, where I arrived on 2nd May.

3. Having examined for tsetse-flies a horse camp in the vicinity, where I found none, I was instructed on 6th May to survey for tsetse-flies the road running from Moshi to Arusha, a stretch of some ninety miles.

The march proved an interesting one, as for two days the path ran through the rich farming districts and fertile woodland along the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, then for a day across grassy plains, and finally through the rich farming country about Meru, with vegetation so luxuriant and dense as to recall to one's mind the real tropical forest of the West African coast.

Though the intelligence notes reported the flies in the neighbourhood of Kikafu, they were nowhere found along this road, the probable explanation being that they had been confused with Hæmotapota, three species of which were not

uncommon.

On reporting my arrival at Arusha I was instructed to return along the same road to Sanja River and to survey for tsetses a new track made to Lolkissale, sixty miles to the south-west.

After a few days' delay, owing to difficulty in obtaining provisions, I got back to Sanja River on 18th, and, having marched over eighteen miles of the Masai

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steppes, plain country, reached the K-D River camp (Kikuletwa Darjama River), in the neighbourhood of Noisinak Bridge, 3,500 feet, at about 8.0 p.m. on a bright moonlight night. The locality, thin woodland, constituted mainly by thorn bushes, seemed a very likely one for tsetses, and my expectations proved correct, for I managed to secure one of two insects that then bit me, which proved to be a female pallidipes; and I heard other tsetses round my carriers.

The camp was used as an outspanning station for the ox convoys, and I surveyed the district carefully, notifying the Deputy Director of Veterinary Services that pallidipes occurred along the road at about three miles north-east of the camp for a stretch of about three-quarters of a mile, and thereafter for three-and-a-half miles parallel to the road in the bush to the north; and I pointed out, in my report of 24th May, that, with a small amount of clearing at one point and a little deviation of the track to the south, the chances of the animals being infected would be minimized. I suggested also that they should be grazed well to the south of the road.

I returned by this route some weeks later, on the 27th June, and here then felt it necessary to submit to transcribe a copy of the further memorandum

the authorities, seeing that, so far as I could ascertain, no action in regard to my report had been taken.

"(No. 10.)

24

"1st July, 1916.

On my return journey between Lolkissale and Sanja River I found two convoys, and several span of oxen drawing regimental wagons,* out- spanned north of the road in the neighbourhood of the K-D River camp, and fully half of the cattle feeding well in the bush, which, as I have already remarked (memorandum of 24th May, paragraph 1), is infested with the tsetse-fly Glossina pallidipes. I saw many of the flies on the beasts and caught a number. Under these circumstances it can hardly be wondered at if the incidence of fly disease is extremely high; and as the flies have now had every opportunity of becoming infected with trypanosomes, there is likely to be an ever-increasing loss. The present losses, whatever the cause- and it is probably largely fly-seem to be great; for one officer in charge of a convoy informed me that about sixty beasts out of a total of some seven hundred and fifty in his charge drop out in each trip of nine days; and two other officers estimated that their respective losses amount to from thirty to forty animals on each trip.

None of the three officers was definitely aware of the presence of the flies, though each had suspected it from the restlessness of the horses.” 4. Continuing the march to Lolkissale, I reached, on 21st May, the Muruangoin River camp, 3,550 feet, having met with a few Glossina morsitans two miles north- east of it, and thereafter I found them in increasing numbers for as far as three miles south of it. The camp itself, which had been until lately an outspanning station, swarmed with the flies; but, though the Commandant, a Colonel in the Indian Army, and his officers had been much bitten, they had not realized the nature of their assailants. Fortunately, at this point a new deviation of the road had been made through more open country, and it was only necessary to point out that the convoy beasts which had passed through, and all the battery mules of the particular regiment then in camp, were probably infected.

On 22nd May I reached the drift at the junction of the Muruangoin and Seenje Rivers, and, in traversing woodland for seven miles to the south again, met with morsitans in small numbers; and I recommended that the convoys should travel through this area at night.

Thereafter, all the way to Lolkissale, a distance of eighteen miles, at an I was of elevation of 4,000 to 4,850 feet, a few scattered flies were met with. opinion that these had probably travelled with the transport, the thinly wooded country, with large open tracts, and the elevation not being, so far as one has been able to judge, conditions such as are especially favoured by the species. The fly, moreover, was certainly more numerous along this section on my return journey & few weeks later.

* Probably two thousand oxen in all.