The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-01-15
Statistics about FIeas.
PROFESSOR BARToLETTI AND HIS PErs-PF
GREsS OF EDUCATION IN THE RACE

r cr street., last evening, our attSntiOu was
:. rested by transparency, upon which WEI
depicted a number of strange objects,
shape and size net unlike rats, engagep
fierce warfare ith swords, and again bus
y at pulling railway cars, and again trippin
npon the light fantlstic tee. Curios ,
: prompting US, we mounted the stairs an
were shown into small square room, Hun
mated by gas, the windows being careful
!. closed and draped with black muslin to es
cude the Daylight. At one end Of the roor
stands a counter, and Upon this counter al
displayed about a dozen little toys-at least
such they appear at frs, sight to be-rep
resenting little villages, wndmills, railways
landscapes, &c. These are the habitation
and the spheres OF duty OF 4 society Of six
ty small fieas.
Professor Bartoletti, the great flea pro
prietor, presidcs at this connter and eS
plains the various flea feats exhibited. II
first hands TO the visitor a small microscope
seen through which, a minute flea become
as large as a cockroach. The insect is fast
ened by silver wire around his neck, lik,
most Of his brethren in this exhibition anc
spends his unhappy existence IN wrigglne
about. Every night he is released, Gan ope
ration which requires great care) and led
The embarrassing and feeding Of the mem
bcrs Of this chronological troupe oCcupic:
some five hours, and as much time is Occu
pied the following morning in preparing
7 the members Of the company for active ser.
vice.
J Ancr satisfying the eye with the micro,
/ scope. the Professor proceeds 20 exhibit the
+ fyats of the licas He holds pair OF pin
GERS in his hand, with the mere clicking OF
which the insect is as familiar a. familiar as
. oh cF a
/ is one flea who turns windmill, by walk
! ing over little cylinder, aud he dares no,
stop while his master is near him. AnOtf-
er flea draws a railroad train Of two nun.
dred thousand times his own weight; an
I other, Of aquatic tendencies, serves as the
I motor TO steamboat; anothers prcpels a
4 wheelbarrOw with his head; and az a
pleasant rural retreat, we find number Of
. industrious tieaS, ready at the gwen click,
to set in motion rotary swings and carrouj-
els. The belli-crent rs well as ndousrous
propenstics OF the performers are not for
gotten and near the miniature representa-
ton Of the camp at Staten Island are cou-
PIE OF tn, Sc insects, in pine thIcket, (the
nes must be at least quarter Of Oh inch
high) engaged in fierce duel, brav.'y
brandishing with their fore paws silver
swords, consideraby longer than them
selves Sometimes the honorable pair VIII
become necdlcssiv alarmed, suspend hosti,i
ties and erdeaTOr 70 take refuge in flight,
TINS cent!rrnin. the scriptGral assertion,
. The wck ed fec when no man pursu-,h =
bat they are uaahie to 90 very far, and at
the sound of the warning plnceTs click they
rush witt. renewed vjgor TO the dIreiu! com
bat. Another scene represents an Italian
landscape with an open air, musical and bal
- .,F,r Sras
ed in a little balcony, the leader waving his
patton Il IL julien, while OF a platform be-
neat the chronological Gevotecs oi Terps!-
chor indulge in the inspiring waltz or e1hi!-
iratjnc polka. This gay and festive scene
was recently the {0rale Of fearful catastro-
phe. \ smoking visitor careIess'y permit
ted his scgar to fall directly upon the plat
form, upsettiug the musicians and blryins
the unfortunate dancers and players in al
avalanche Of scgar ashes. destroy n. them As
completely a. tie Pomptians were destroy
ci bv the lava from Nesuv'uS. Even Sc
date elderly flea, who was qniet'v reading
newspaper upon seat near by, and one OF
.vO dowacer lady .ieas, who were piacIdiy
.dm;ring the dancers, were INVOLVED IN the
same dread ruin.
1T one end Of the counter stands the
Academy where these gifted creatures re-
ceive their educatjon-thc very Alma Mater
of flea-dom. 1t may crafty those Of our
readers who intend TO undertake the training
OF these delightful insects, 10 have So Ia
bus Of the modes Of instruction pursued by
Professor Barto'etti Of Flea College.
The first thing the professor does Is TO
catch his flea, and 70 i!nPrisou it in small
box with two glass windows. through which
the little prisoner tries IN vane to cscap -
IT Ill kn cd hr ha;,
placed upon the Professors hand, glass
case or tuInbler inverted ever him to prevent
his flight. In the fourth or fifth week the
flea gives up struggling and resignes himself
TO imprisoumen'. He is then taken out,
fastened to little wire, and left upon min
ialure wharf, bv miniature river. For
some four or five weeks he remains obstin-
ateIv torpid, only exhibiting vitality when
feeding time comes; at the end of this per-
iod he is attached TO little vessel or car,
and, by an occasional twinge with the pin
GERS, and the untirins efforts of the Profes-
sor, is soon taught the way he should 60,
a:d becomes thensefor;h a well-crdrcd and
industrious flea.
Professor Barto'ette commenced his eX-
peri;ucnts some ten years since, and has ex-
hibited his little pets before Queen Victoria,
Lona Napoleon and other European poten-
tates. The average duration of life OF one of
the insects is two years though there is one
patriarch who has attained the venerable
age of two years and nine notwithstanding
ly remarkable instance Of longevity in a
flea. 1t will be remc,nbcd that the insects
are all very minute, and their teats are Wit
messed through magnfying glass. To en-
courage the nervous, the Professors circular
contains the following gratifying item of in
formation: "Visitors may be assured that
the animals are well Sc cured, SO that no dan
ger Of an attack need be apprehe led
We understand, by the way, that one of
Bartolctti's ileas is the hero OF the following
anecdote
"At an exhibition Of feas before one of
the German sovereigna, the exhibitor be-
came perturbed. looked hither and thither,
searched through his repository, and stop
ped the performance, with an apology that
one of his chief performers, his Napoleon,
had escaped, although he was safe since the
acting began. Where can he be gone ?
said the king. The exhibitor looked uneasy
but spoke not Tell me, said his majesty,
interpreting his increasing confusion. what
you suspect If may be SO bold, your
majesty, believe hs has taken refuge win
the Princess Il Then, SAID the KING
search shall Oe maze, "'u ''o ~ ~
tired. After while she appeared with
cantiye who was Immediately put upon the
s,ape. But oh horror! the exhibitor ex-
claimed, lie is not my Napoleon; he is
wild cne!"
From the Liverpool Courier, Nov. 10.
The Unveiled Atlantic.
The description given Of Japan by some
of Lord E'gin'S suite, rivals that of the en-
chanted island in the Arabian Nights. No