The Washington herald., 1907-08-21
THE NIMBLE LITTLE FLEA.
By FREDERIC J.. HASKIN.

The suspicion that the fea IS the dis
tributing agent OF bubonic plague and
leprosy. even as the mosquito is the dis
tribujcr OF fever, aEd the fly Of malaria.
has caused an investigation into the
habits Of this minute tormentor. and
largely increased our knowledge OF him.
II has been shown that he is the most
cosmopolitan member OF all the insect
kingdom. He flourishes equally well in
the SHOWS of Alaska and the sands OF
California. on the glaciers of the Alps.
and in the forests OF Central Africa. He
suffers little inconvenience If transported
m.ies from home. and in a closed house
has been known TO subsist for months on
a diet Of dust, and remain healthy and
cheerful. AS an athlete, he is the won
der OF all other living things, for IN pro-
portion 10 his size he can jump farther
and with greater force than any other
known creature. His had legs are said
to contain enormous muscles for a little
fellow. and are most powerful. 1t is by
these that he Is propelled forward over
great space when circumstances decree
that he make a speedy change Of base
His usual method Of iocomotion IS crawl
ing; he never jumps unless frightened
and then he stays not on the order Of his
going.
Fleas are fewer IN species. but greater
in number than any other insects. There
are about 100 species, Of which thirty are
in the United States.
Blg aeas have little Heas
Upon their backs 20 bite EN-,
Little feas have lesser foas,
And 50 al infiniten.
The smallest animal is not free from
parasites OF some kind, and feas are best
proofs OF the assertion. One OF the small
est animals. the mole, has the largest
leas on him. Few furry animals escape.
Cats and dogs. both wild and tame are
Il the mercy Of the little pests, who take
up a permanent abode in the shelteriRg
hair. lay their eggs and raise their large
families there. In summer they deposit
the eggs loose in the hair, and leave them
TO hatch, 10 subsist as larvae, and 70
spin and develop their coCOOns at leisure
A generation can be hatched and brought
10 maturity in a fortnight. In winter
fleas take the precaution of glueing the
eggs 70 the hair, SO they Will remain in
a warm place. An optimistic scientist
afiirms that it is better for cats and dogs
20 have fleas, that it is only by this
means that a thorough circulation of the
fluids under the skin can be obtained
The ancient enmity between cats and
dogs seems TO have been transmitted to
the parasites that live on them, for the
red fieas on the cats are continually at
u-a with ha h11rfr on, II
though the dog-flea family may be ex-
terminated in that neighborhood. the cat
flea family must move out or die. because
its members cannot live on dogs.
As fighters feas are game TO the last
They fight standing on their hind legs,
buffettlng with their other legs. and, oc-
casionally, biting. to emphasize their
earnestness. One champion IN a bottle,
where several combatants had been
placed, was found TO live ten days,
though only the first joints Of four legs
were left him. he had no antennae, one
eye was gone, and three plates on his side
were smashed In. He remained aggres-
sive to the end. Fleas flourish with equal
activity and impartiality on the hyena,
the fox, the raccOon, the squirrel, the
rabbit, and the rat Even the outlawed
skunk has troubles Of his own with them.
writer Of long ago tells how the shrewd
fox was accustomed 10 rid himself Of
the pests. He would gather a bunch Of
wool from the hedges where sheep had
passed, hold 1t in his mouth. and back
slowly into the water. He would go
gradually deeper and deeper, until all
was submerged but his nose, his mouth.
and the bunch Of wool. Then" says
the old chronicler, ''he barks and spits
out the wool full Of fleas. and so very
froliquetly being delivered from this mo-
lestation, he swims TO land"
What is known as the human fiea' IS
very rare in the United States. but rather
than let mankind suffer from neglect, the
cat and dog feas accommodatingly teke
his place. They move into any residence
that suits their fancy. deposit their eggs
on the floor in convenient crevices. and
establish intimate and friendly relations
with the helpless inmates, Even when
caught, the flea is hard TO kill, the tiny
scales on his body providing a coat Of
armor as impregnable as that Of a me-
diaeval knight. The Bureau OF Ento-
mology Of the United States Department
VI ASIACuttuie duFLSSS hDSAi use VI
pyrethrum powder to get rid Of them,
and suggests that floors be sprayed with
benzine, or as a last resort, scrubbed
thoroughly with hot water and soap.
Queen Christina of Sweden seems TO have
been rather successful IN exterminating
pests of this kind, for, II a museum at
Stockholm, is said to be seen a tiny sill
yer cannon with which she shot them in
open warfare
While the subject OF fieas IS naturally
tabooed IN polite society, there has been
q time when men Of talent have devoted