The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-03-20
An Ugly Fly.
The following description of venomous
insect is taken from Liyingston's Africa:

insect is taken from Livingston's Africa:
| The Tsetse or GlossiRd morstans, is no,
much larger than the common house fly,
| and is nearly Of the same brown color as
the common honey bee the after part OF
the body has three or four yellow bars
across it; the wings project beyond this
part considerably, and it is remarkably alert,
! avoiding most dexterously all attempts TO
capture it with the hand, at common tempe
ratnres; in the cool of the mornings and
evenings it is less agile. Its peculiar buzz
when once heard can never be forgotten
by the traveller, whose means Of locomotion
are domestic animals for it is well known
that the bite of this poisonous insect is GER
tain death to the OK, horse and dog. In
this journey, though we were not aware of
any great number having at any time alight-
ed on cattle, we lost 43 fine oxen by its bite.
We watched the animals carefully, and be-
lieve that not q score or flies were upon
them.
\ most remarkable feature in the bite of
the tsetse is its perfect harmessness in man
and wild animals, anc even calves, so long
as they continue TO suck the cows. We ne
yer experienced the slightest injury from
them ourselves, personally, although we
lived two months in our hdJitat, which was
in this case as sharply defined as in many
others, for the South bank of the Chiobe
was infested by them, and the Northern
bank where our cattle was placed. only fF-
" yards distant, contained not single spe-
cimen. This was the more remarkable, as
we often saw natives carrying over raw inert
to the opposite bank, with many tsctsc up
on it.
The poison does not seem TO be injected
f,r- Lr- "a la
skin; for. when one is allowed to feed free
ly on the hand; IT is seen to insert the mid
die prong Of tn &c portions into which the
proboscIs divides, somewhat deeply in the
true skin; il then draws it ont little way,
and II assumes crimson color Is, the man.
dables come in brisk operation. The pre-
uicusly sunken belly swclls out, and, If left
undisturbed, the fly xuietly departs when it
is .ull. \ slight itching irritation follows
but not more than in the bite Of q mosquito
In the OK This bite produces no more immc-
date effects than in man. /, dos not star
tie him as the gll-fy does; Jl; the follow
Ing symptoms supervcue; the eve and nose
begin 70 run, the coat stares as II the AMI
NAL were cold, a swelling appears under the
Jaw, and sometimes 1t the naval; and tho
the animal continues to graZa, omacatiOn
commences, accompanied with 4 pecul ar
hacc!dlty Of the muscles, and this proceeds
unchecked until, perhaps months afterwards,
purgins comes on, and the animal, no longer
able to grazc, perishes in a state of extreme
exhaustion. Those which are in good con-
diti0n, often perish soon after the bite is in
ticted, with staggering an blindness, as if
the brain were affected by it. Sudden
cianges of temperature produced by falls
of rain. seem 10 hasten the progress Of the
complaint; but, in general, the omacia,ion
goes uninterrnptedIy for months, and do
what We viii, the poor animal perishes mis-
erab'y.
When opened the cellular tissue on the
surface Of the body beneath the skin is seen
to be injected with air, as If 4 quantity of
soap bubbles were scattered il, or dishon- |
es. awkward butcher hai been trying to
make it look fat. The fat is OF 4 grecnish !
yellow color and of an oily consistence. All |
the muscles ara habhy, and the heart often /
50 soft that the fingers may be made to /
meet through it. The lungs and the liver 4
partakc Of the disease. The stomach and |
bowels are pale and empty, and the gall |
bladder is dis:ended with bile.
The mule, ass, and goat, enjoy the immu- /
nifty from these tsetse as man and the game. /
Many large tribes on the Zlnbesi can Keep |
no domestic animals except the goat, n con !
o. the Sc0urge existing IN their |
cou try. Oar children were frequently bit /!
ten but suffered no harm, and we saw round /
Us numbers OF zebras, buE.los, pigs, pallah /
and ether ante'opes. feeding quietly in the I
very habitat of tsetsc, Yet urdisturbed by |
its bite as oxen are when they first receive /;
the iutal poison.
There is not SO much difference in the ma /
lures Of the hoase an zebra, the buffalo and |
OK, the sheep and antelope, rs 10 afford any |
explanation of the phenomenon. /
Is not man as much domestic animal as 4
dog: The curious feature in the case, taat |
dogs perish, though fed on milk, whereas
the ca.ucS escape so long rs they continued /
sucking, made Us imagine that the mischief /
might bc produced by seme plant in the To- |
ca,ity, and Major Vaughn, of the Madras !
army settled that point by riding = horse up |
a small hill infested by the insect without |
allowing him to Craze, and, though he only
remained long enough to take view of the
country and catch some specimens of tsetse
on the animal, in ten days afterwards the
horse was dead.