Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-07-07
n Flea Entertainmeni. h /, \

In London young Englishman is con-
Quoting on exhibition of very curious
character He is the proprietor Of stud
of performing heas; or, to use the words
of his own announcements, of "trained
Aptertus insects, the onlyspecimens Of the
Articulata in the world ever taught to per-
form. The London Daily News says;;
"Wewent 10 the sight, fearing that our
sense of refinement would be shocked, but
found, upon entering the room, q tastefully
decorated apartment, and several ladies
with their children admiIing the household
foes which o wholesome sense OF
duty teaches them generally to
crush. Mr.. Kitchingman the exhibitor,
has toiled hardand long to bring his exhi-
bition to its present successful condition.
Like the everlasting cookery-book hare, the
heas have had first to be caught, then
shipped hither from Russia, Belgium and
France, or elsewhere, and afterwards sub
jected to training in which severity and
tenderness are pretty equally proportioned
Without going so far as the exhibitor who
believes the little wretches he protects have
intellects, and says he has seen their brains,
we must confess our astonishment at the
novel figure they are made to cut, although
in an age like this one ought not to be
amazed at sucn triAe as the spread of ed
ucation among heas. The insects in Re-
gent street draw carriages, act as tug to q
man-of-war, fire off O gun, perform on the
tight-rope, draw O bucket out of an imag-
mary well, leap and swing, and execute
other evolutions upon q white, smooth
table.
These things, however, are not done by
the heas rs by other beings. The volunta-
~ system is quiet ignored, and the Won
der of the exhibition is rather marvellous
delicacy of the machinery than the genius
of the performers. Mr.. Kitchingman, after
years of patient, has perfected a set Of Lii
liputian articles, designed and made by his
own hands, that are of themselves of the
rarest kind, and the visitor will soon per-
ceive that they are most ingeniously made
for fleas and not the fieas for them. TAX
ing the raw, untutored flea between his fin
ger and thumb, with touch that few could
command, the proprietor fastens by pc
cular moose fine hair round the insects
trunk, leaving the two ends standing an
inch or so above the back, like couple of
overgrown feelers. These nair-ends are
fastened to the apparatus, generally by in
sertion in the split of tiny straw, and this
this difficult operation having been done
without injury to wind or limb, the har-
nassed captive is attached to the particular
service for which its talents I'll 1T
''rhe Russian and Belgian feas are fa-
vorite pupils, but the English breed, after
much starving and training, become the
toughest and best. We observed one on
Saturday, however, fretting in the collar
very painfully, and drawing his ivory cor
with hop, skip, and jump, instead Of the
steady, easy trot which the Russian or Rel
gian affected. Perhaps it @HJ too much to
expect right minded flea to be docile un
der the circumstances in the presence OF
ruddy children and blonde ladies. One OF
two OF the performers were pointed out as
the inheritOrs of green old age; they had
lived nine months, and were now, in the
course of nature, nearing the day of theil
death. Three or four months nay, weeks
however, are considered q hard age for q
O flea to live.
"Mr. Kitchingman, with touching affec.
ton, allows his fleas to live out of himself,
which is nothing but fair, seeing that he
lives out of them. Every day, when some
thing attempted and something done has
earned them o nights repose, he feeds his
flock upon the back of his hand, puts each
individual between two blankets, and
the whole layer into box, where they
slumber secure, out of harms way, and
ought to be able to rise in hemorning with
clear consciences towards all mankind
The unframed reserve stock (two or three
hundred) are kept in stoppered bottle
full of fl nnel wool. The exhibitor gives
his visitors much information upon thii
special branch Of natural history"