The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-08
FLEA'S PLACE IN HISTORY.
Washington Official Has Been
Studying a Lively Insect.
From the WASHINGTON Star.

From the Washington Star.
While good old st. Dominic was seat
ed. in his cell, calm and passionless,
bordering upon the vices, the miseries
of the world, flea was sent to tor
ment him. and these pestiferous little
nuisances have been with us ever
since, to torment saint and sinner
| alike.
According to Prof. Chittenden, as
sistant entomologist, department of
agriculture, there are many species of
fieas to try the patience of men and
women, to say nothing of the animal
kingdom. According to observations
of the flea an entire generation of the
| piratical jumpers may develop in a
little more than a fortnight: hence a
housekeeper closing her house for a
few weeks in summer need not be sur
| prised to find the establishment over
run with fleas when she opens it again.
| The little tormenters come and go in
droves, and this summer appears to be
the worst in years for them.
Studies of specimens sent the Agri-
tural Department develop the fact that
the species which commonly overruns
/ houses in damp summers in our East
ern cities especially is not, as many
! suppose, the human flea, but the COM
mon cosmopolitan flea of the dog and
cat. There is widespread ignorance
as to the transformations of this in
! sect, and even the entomologist is puz-
zled where to consult good figures of
the different stages and a detailed &C
count of the life history.
The flea is characterized by the en-
tire absence of wings. by having the
body composed, the legs long and stout.
the coXea remarkably developed, Civ
Ing great leaping power. The mouth
parts are we'll developed and adapted
for suction, all the species in the adult
stage feeding upon the blood of NAM
mails or birds. In a word, Mr.. Flea be-
longs to the fourth order of insects
pulex linnaeuS. The flea is clothed in
armor quite as indestrucible as that of
knight of old.
Among the several species of fieas
which have received the attention of
the governments entomologists are the
human jigger, or clique, the hen, opos-
sum, house bird, rat and mouse, dog
cat, squirrel, spermophile, rabbit, mole,
pocket gopher, and a number of
others. OF these it is difficult to deter
mine which give the greater annoyance
to humans; all are bad and many worse
-tormentOrs of the most pronounced
type. And yet these jumping, biting,
tickling pirates have figured in song
and story. Many an old German le-
gend, Bavarian and Swedish story, and
many an old French song have had the
flea for their hero, and so it must be
that the flea has its place. Ancient
mythology relates that Orion was a
giant hunting with beasts and, like
them, very naturally coarse and unre-
fined. Earth, disguised, killed him by
the sting of the scorpion. Pan became
enamored of his sister and Diana, to
rescue her, turned her into a flea, land
all that now remains of her." adds Miss
Catherine, sis the fear, the cunning and
the name" The flea has been embalm-
ed in classic lore; it was considered
among the gods as becoming enough to
serve as a metamorphose in xtremi-
ties.
In Hindoostan, where the belief in
the metempsychosis still eXist-what-
ever, in fact, finger in the East legends
of the philosophical dogmas of Pytha-
goras-are to be found hospitals where
beggars are paid stipulated sum to
pass the night, that the vermin, such
| as fieas, bugs, etc, may be fed at the
expense of their life blood. Imagine, if
you can, such a night, with few
thousand rampant beaks stuck into
your anatomy The iea-infested dis
! tricts of New York, New Jersey,
Texas and Louisiana, of which much
has been written, are nothing COM
| pared to this.
If fieas could be tanned they would
be profitable. but according to ento-
mologists tieas are tanned about as
/ much as a rattlesnake. Mouffet tells
Of a mechanic named Marks who made
a gold chain as long as his finger with
| lock and key which a flea dragged
after him. and there was a golden
| chariot which he drew likewise. Bing-
! ley mentions that a Mr.. Boverick. a
matchmaker on the Strand, exhibited
an ivory chaise with four wheels, the
! figure of man sitting on the box
| all drawn By a flea. The same man
afterward contracted a landau with