St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-08-11
THE WONDERFUL FLEA.
Wonderful Strength and Intelligence OF
the Lively Little Pests.


microscope. It seems to be clothed in
sort of armor formed of brown, over
tapping plates that are so exceedingly
tough as to be almost indestructible.
Its head is small and very thin, and it
has single eye upon each side. This
eye is black and the rays of light scin-
tillate within it like sparks of fire.
Puget managed to look through one of
these reyes, and he found that it
diminished objects in size while 1t
multiplied them in number, a man ap-
pearing like an army of fairies and the
flame of candle becoming a thousand
tiny stars. From the shape of its head
and for other reasons, the flea is sup
posed to use only one eye at time.
The offensive weapon of the flea is
composed of two palpi, or feelers,
two piercers and a tongue. When it
feeds it stands erect, thrusting this
sucker into the flesh, and it will eat
without intermission until disturbed,
for it voids as fast as it swallows its
food. 1t is interesting to put several
in glass, and giving them a piece of
raw meat, see them all standing on
their hind legs to suck up its juice.
Their manner of breathing is still
undetermined, but it is thought most
probable that they receive air into
their bodies through small holes at the
end of the palpi.
The legs of flea are marvels OF
strength and elasticity. They are
joined to the body by long tendons
that act like wire springs. In making
its leap, which, it is said, can cover
two hundred times it's own length, the
flea draws the leg up close to the body
and then throws it out with great
force; but the impulse proceeds from
the first joint alone, the others only
increasing it by their stretch while the
leap is being made.
Fleas are possessed of great strength.
Mouffet tells of mechanic who made a
gold chain, as long as his finger, that a
flea dragged after him, and golden
chariot which he drew also. Pingley
writes of matchmaker in the Strand
who had an ivory four-wheeled chaise,
with coachman on its box, drawn by
a flea. The same man afterward made
a carriage with six horses, a coach
man, four persons inside, two footmen
behind, and position on one of the
horses, all of which was drawn by a
single flea. Latriella mentions a flea
which dragged a silver cannon of
twenty-four times its own weight,
mounted on wheels, and showed no
fear when it was charged with gun
powder and fired off. Rene says that
he saw three feas drawing tiny omni-
bus; that pair drew chariot, and
that brass cannon was dragged by a
single one.
There are several varieties of feas,
but they are so much alike that their
differences are interesting only to sci
entifc people. The cat flea will do as
well as any to show us the process of
breeding. During the spring and sum-
mer months she simply drops her eggs
into the fur of the cat; but in the au-
tumn and winter she CLUES each firmly
upon hair. These eggs are SO small
as to be barely visible to the naked
eye, but under the microscope they
are very beautiful, looking like the
loveliest pearls, and are perfectly trans
lucent. The flea deposits nearly two
hundred at a time, running about and
dropping them here and there. They
soon hatch into small, white, footless
worms. In from one to two weeks
they 60 into cocoon. I wish I could
show it to you, but will try to describe
it. It is like a flask of clear glass,
tinged at the edges with
pearly tints, and dotted over
with gold. The little sleeper
within lies in a circle, is rose-colored
and looks like the delicate petal of a
flower. In about six weeks he reaches
maturity. At first he is not larger
than a mite, but when well fed grows
quickly in size and strength.
Fleas are quarrelsome, and great
fighters. When several are confined
in a glass they will stand on their hind
legs, striking at their opponents with
the others, and roll over and over each
other, losing legs and antenna, and at
last giving up their lives in the fight.
There is record of flea which lived
ten days after such an encounter with
no antenna, three plates of his side
broken in, one eye gone, and with only
four legs, and these cut off to the first
joints.
Fleas are supposed to feel great
antipathy to wormwood and other bit
ter herbs; and in England the country
people have habit of placing these
about their cottages for,the purpose Of
the lively little PESTS.
L. Ctdycs, I'm Saoiss Cross.
COLORED PHILOSOPHY.