How I Found Livingstone Travels, Adventures And Discoveries In Central Africa Including Four Months Residence With Dr. Livingstone By Sir Henry M. Stanley
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Hence, I Might Have Been A Little Vengeful If, With More
Than The Zeal Of An Entomologist, I Caused It To Disclose Whatever
Peculiarities Its Biting Parts Possessed.
In order to bring this fly as life-like as possible before my
readers, I may compare its head to most tiny miniature of an
elephant's, because it has a black proboscis and a pair of horny
antennae, which in colour and curve resemble tusks.
The black
proboscis, however, the simply a hollow sheath, which encloses,
when not in the act of biting, four reddish and sharp lancets.
Under the microscope these four lancets differ in thickness, two
are very thick, the third is slender, but the fourth, of an opal
colour and almost transparent, is exceedingly fine. This last must
be the sucker. When the fly is about to wound, the two horny
antennae are made to embrace the part, the lancets are unsheathed,
and on the instant the incision is performed. This I consider
to be the African "horse-fly.'
The second fly, which sang the tenor notes more nearly resembled
in size and description the tsetse. It was exceedingly nimble,
and it occupied three soldiers nearly an hour to capture a specimen;
and, when it was finally caught, it stung most ravenously the hand,
and never ceased its efforts to attack until it was pinned through.
It had three or four white marks across the after-part of its body;
but the biting parts of this fly consisted of two black antennae
and an opal coloured style, which folded away under the neck.
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