Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-03


possesses interesting information about those
dancing dervishes of the insect world. This is
somewhat strange for nearly all the flea ltera-
ture in circulation now is from fifty to seventy
five years old, and in the period that has
elapsed since the last standard work on this
moving subject appeared the character and
physical nature of the flea have undergone
many Of those changes necessarily consequent
upon new associations and climatic eccentri-
cities
CAUSE OF THE FLEA EPIDEMIC.
''The extraordinary abundance of f,eas," said
Prof Howard to a STAR reporter. lis, have no
doubt. due to the extremely wet weather which
has been such . marked feature in the meteor
oloSy of 1891. You may recoileet that in 1889
there was also an excess of moisture and an
overplus of feas. There can be no question
but that feas develop more rapidly when there
Is humidity and heat than at times when the
weather Is dry and cool, and to this fact we
must look for any reasonable explaL alton as to
the invasion most of US have suffered FROM
Pleas lay their eggs in the dust in floor cracks,
and. II that dust happens to be damp and warm,
the Larvae become feas with surprising rapiditv
Each female flea laws from fifteen to twenty
eggs, and in about three weeks these eggs or
the active principle in each. goes through the
intermediate stages to full feahood. Now sup
pose a couple OF ordinarily active ieas-a male
and female-should start to raise family in
the house your family vacated when it was
time to go to the seashore or the mountains
The processes would not be interrupted bv
sweeping or other household disturbances of a
hyglenic nature. and in three weeks a score of
1uii-grovn heas would be practicing standing
broad jumps on your carpet or mating. The
next brood would be as large proportionately
and when the third generation came around il
would be numerous enough and vicious enough
to disturb the eqUanimity of Job.
''Would be good thing to destroy the eggs?
Certainly, IL the eggs were smashed there
could not possibly be any heas. Did YOU ever
see flea egg? No? Well. SO that YOU nav be
able to recognize one should you ind one in
Your boudoir let me say that a flea egg is
about one forty-fifth of an inch long, oval
cylindrical in shape and white in color.
Does the flea hatch directly from the egg?
No. The first product Is worIn-like grub
about six-hundredths of an inch in length
Each grub is composed of thirteen distinct
segments-here is a picture of one-and has ~
''Whiskers, suggested the reporter, looking
At the capillary adorrments of the grub in the
engraving.
ACTIVE GRUBs.
The professor explained that hairs were not
necessarily whiskers. and then went on to state
that the grubs were very active. twisting about
In all directions When full grown the worm
was about one-eighth of an inch long Before
1t outgrew the grub stage. however. it spun
little cocoon. and in this shelter it underwent
the transformation which made it such formi-
cable enemy to the peace OF mankind and
animals. Occasionally a lea would graduate
As II were, wi.hous the aid OF the cocoon but
such cases were rare.
VARIETIES OF THE PEST.
"How many varieties OF flea are thereY'
repeated the professor. There are a great
many species: The human flea. the dog flea.
the cat flea, the chicken flea. the mouse fiea,
the bat flea and the squirrel flea. to saw nothing
Of those iess which find shelter and subsistence
the bodies of wild animals.