The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-12
HUNTING FLEAS
WITH ROOSEVELT
Mighty Nimrod On a Peculiar
Mission
FOR A ROTHSC Hill D
Mighty Lion Hunter Goes With Ex-
President to Hunt FIeas; Yes,
Fleas, Nothing But FIeas.
The Secret Gets Out.
FOR A ROTH SCHlL D

From the Philadelphia North American.
Hunting 1eas with Roosevelt
That La the astonishing sequel which
develops In the story of the attendance
upon the Roosevelt African expedition of
Friedrich Courtenay Seious, the mightiest
hunter Africa has ever known.
! The Roosevelt caravan included several
specialists, but the most imposing name
OF those which were Joined to him In the
memorable year In Africa was that of
! Selous, the Macumazahn of H. Rider
Haggards ALLAN Quatsrmain."
For months after the small. slender.
! grizzled old hunter dissmbarked from the
steamer Admiral at the side of the ex-
petitions huskier leader. amid the ac-
CARNATIONS of natives who had come from
the far interior to Mombasa to see the
famous pair, the popular impression that
Selous was simply his hosts hunting
companion was allowed to stand
Now, however, the secret has come out.
Macumazahn, mighty lion hunter Lord
of the Elephants. went to Africa as the
agent of Hon. Charles de Rothschild. son
of Lord Rothschild. to hunt f1eas.
Just feas, that's all.
| But why heas7
That is where the scientifically eccen-
trio Rothschild really comes In.
| He has, in the irreverent language of
| the proletariat a bug on fieas Other
men can be happy without fieas. There
have even been men who hesitated to as
sociate with 1eas on intimate terms.
| Not so the Hon. Charles He managed
to worry along when his beautiful Aus
trian bride deserted him on their honey
moon, lovelorn millionaire though he be-
came. His heart aching over her deser-
ton he returned to hts lonely home and
museum at Tring Park. in England,
where he buried himself among his 10000
fieas and started In to scratch I'D a lot
] more.
| Several years ago the world was star
| tied by the announcement of q yearnine
| on the part of Rothschild for an arctic
| flea. He offered 5000 for 1t. That looked
like extravaganza. But 1t wasn't. 1t was
| the warmest brand OF economy If he
| would secure for 5000 a healthy, full
! furred, vigorous specimen of the arctic
| fox flea, he wouldn't have to equip an ex-
petition to find one. at a cost of $4,000
or so.
After the European magazines had
published his portrait, wearing a calm
and salubrious expression, beside the
portrait of the missing flea, and after the
papers In the United States had filed
whole pages with tales of his itch for
the elusive insect, and alter thousands of
the needy proletarfat had scratched up
nothing more stylish than the pulex vul-
xfe .tot. TIL,
shirts and socialists. Mr.. Rothschild
bought the good ship Forget-Me-Not,
changed its name to Bluebell, lest the ap-
preparedness scare the f1eas, and dis
patched it on It's voyage to Baffin land
1t was the longest flea hunt on record
1t lasted four years. But the Bluebell re-
turned with several specimens of the pu-
lex irritans of the arctic fox, and Mr.
Rothschild was as delighted as Colonel
Roosevelt has been when he acquired q
lion with his rife.
Meanwhile the flea question had been
escaping from the curiosities of science
and becoming a real live issue, not mere
ly because fieas increase human activity.
but because they increase human NOR
tally. The flea and the plague are prov
ing, right here In the United States, to
be as closely associated as are the flea
and the dog.
Mr.. Rothschild, supplied at last with
more than 10000 feas, an allowance
larger than that of any other living per-
son, black or white, yearned for more.
Africa the unknown continent, probably
held plenty of f1eas.
This time he determined that he
wouldn't leave a variety Of flea uncat-
alogued in Africa, II money and the
dauntless courage of Selous could make a
complete job of it.
So nearly as is known Colonel Roose-
welt has not returned Selous's courtesy in
helping the big game hunts by assisting
at any flea batteaux, beyond, Of course,
making gifts to his fellow sportsman of
such heas as any gentleman may collsct
there incidentally and without premedita-
ton. And even those will probably not
have any great scientific value although
Mr.. Rothschild may be ex oacted TO pre-
serve them on account OF the donor, and
perhaps label them as personal souvenirs
of Colonel Roosevelt.
Mr.. SeloAs's best hnrting grounds have
thus far proved to be In the f,cs of the
various animals slain by tho expedition,
thus pleasing his wea thy employer and
and at the same time leaving the Smith
sonian institute peaceful and happy and
able to sleep after the days work on
the trophies Is over.
But to satisfy so eager collector as
Rothschild any mere fne-tooth-comb
business on another mans hunts would
be unsportsmanlike. So Mr. selous
breaks away from Colonel Roosevelt and
does a good deal of cunning for f1eas on
his own account.
IT NAV be interesting and reassuring to
ali friends Of Mr.. Rothscild to be in
formed that by the time the fieas reach