Abstract
A NOTE on the object of the experiment is perhaps called for. The game animals feed the tsetse flies and act as hosts also for the pathogenic trypanosomes. In consequence their extermination has frequently been advocated and in some colonies great slaughters have already taken place. I have personally taken the view that the game fauna of Africa is too precious an asset to be lightly destroyed if we can find any other means of destroying the tsetses; and we have laid ourselves out, as a Department, to discover these other means. At the same time it is certain that a modicum of game destruction must here and there take place where other measures will not suffice. I accordingly laid down this scheme of experiment, which Harrison is carrying out so ably, for the purpose of learning all we can of the relations of the game animals and the flies, in order to ascertain the minimum amount of game destruction which will anywhere suffice for our purpose, and with the idea, also, of supplying the scientific control which has been lacking in the great slaughters of game that have taken place elsewhere. In conjunction with these experiments, the preferences of the flies are being tested in the laboratory: it may be that some species of mammals are nauseous to the flies and need not be attacked. Irritability, tendency to use open country, and defensive fur may protect other species. The mere absence of the animals from the flies' feeding grounds in the period of stress (late dry season) may suffice. We are still at the beginning of the subject, but I wish to make it clear meantime that the hope underlying the experiment is that, where game destruction has to be used, discriminative destruction may suffice.
Published Version
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