The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-17

Efforts to Solve the Mystery OF the
Recent Influx.
From tie Philadelphia Press

bfom the Philadelphia Press
DIR. Henry c. McCook, the preacher and
scientist, was found in MS study yesterday
and was asked if he could explain the recent
visitation of the flea plague upon this city
and other parts of the country, and the in
tlux Of the little pests into Paris as concom-
liant with the exposition.
- am not specialist on feas," said Dr.
McCook, but somehow the idea prevails
that am posted ON any question relating
TO insects. However, in the absence of a
specimen, which 1 presume you have not
with you. take IL for granted that the
insects which were recently so plentiful are
the ordinary flea, or pttieI iTritdRs, the
irritating flea, and very well named IL is
There are many species of heas,
curious things that various animals
have a tendency to develop, such
as dogs, cats, birds and the like. of many
widely they differ from the pttler tTritdnS,
but the difference is not great--all belong
to the order of dipterG, unwinGed flies. TO
compensate for the absence Of wings feas
have a remarkable development in the legs
or saltatorial power, whereby the little
creatures are enabled to jump thirry-six
times their own hight. They belong to tue
family pulicid9 and are bred in the dust or
dirt Their name, puleX, is probably de-
rived from pulvis, the dust. They become
little larvR or worms. and live in the dust
or dirt. Then in the course Of few days
they spin up "a si!kea cocoon like a silk
worm aud finally become The perfect flea.
MYSTERY SURROUNDING THE INFLUX
"As to their origin 1 can't say in the
absence of specimen. They were prob
ably introduced on some animal or in the
clothes or were brought in by immigrants
or in some other natural way There is a
mystery always as to the influx of insects
in great numbers such as the locusts, army
worms and the like, which has never been
explained. There is a tendency of these
creatures to appear in vast hordes at GER
tain times.
81 had a disagreeable experience when l
moved into this new, beautiful mause A
vagrant cat gained access to the cellar and
| made its home in barrel filed with waste
paper, where she had kittens Shortly
| myriads of 1eas made their appearance and
| filled the house. But they succumbed aud
| withdrew before a vigorous application of
the scrubblng brush. The young flea must
have dirt or dust to develop on, to mature,
| and without these conditions it is iInpossi-
| BILE for it to mature. Fleas may come into
| the most orderly arranged household, but
| housekeepers, bearing this fact in mind, will
know what policy to pursue in case Of fleas.
| During the centennial exposition part of
| the Italian exhibit was plentiful inporta-
ton Of tleas, which spread over Phlledel-
| phia and proved a serious annoyance for q
year or two; yet this quickly vanished be-
| fore the traditional admirable housekeep
| ing Of our Philadelphia housewives 1t is
possible that the eruption in the northwest.
ern part of the city had similar origin
and will doubtless have a similar end
STORY FROM ARABIA.
Our country is not much of a country
fyzw,d 4 "a l.
| Europe and the East. Egypt is overruI
with them. The Arabs have a saying tina
The king of all the fleaS holds his court a
| Tiberias. The Sandwich Islands is great
place for fieas, and there is (
| tradition among the natives as
| to their introduction: Many years az,
woman from Waimae went out to
| ship to see her lover, and as she was about
| to return he gave her bottle, saying Their
was very little valuable property containet
| in it, but that she must not open it on any
account until she reached the shore. A
soon as she gained the beach she eagerly
| uncorked the bottle to examine her treasure
but nothing was to be discovered--the flea
| hoped QUO and they have gone on hoppinS
and biting ever since.
"As to remedy. There is still preserve,
in the museum in Sweden a diminutiv
| piece Of ordnance four or five inches il
length which, it is said, was used by Queer
| Christiana to cannonade feas. That's on
remedy. Another was the celebrated fie,
| powder, one dose of which carefully poured
down the throat of flea was warranted tx
| prove fatal. There is an old Engllsl
| rhyme which says:
''While NORWOOD hath seed get handful Of
twaine,
| To save against March TO make flea to refraine
| Where chamber is sweeped and wormwood il
strewn,
| No flea for his life dare abide to be known -