The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-28
THE PESKY FLEA
IS A TERROR
Causes More Deaths Than Rep
tiles and Beasts.
WELL ARMED CREATURE
Has Armor of Horns, Two Large
Knives, Two Lnnces and Sharp
Stillefto--Is Most Dam
gerous Animal.
WELL ARMED CREATURE

From the Technical World Magazine.
If some one were to tell you of q
creature covered with a heavy armor
of horn and provided with two large
triangular slashing weapons in addi-
lion to two lances and a very sharp
stilletto, having the longest and most
powerful hind legs of any being In
existence, SO strong and powerful that
the animal could jump 500 times its own
length and If you were to be further
told that the creature was abroad upon
the face of the earth today, causing
more deaths annually than all the VEN
omous reptiles and ferocious beasts In
the world, would you not ina gine that
the narrator was the victim of hal
fluctuations far outclassing those Of the
most habituated pipe dreamer" asks
William Colby Rucker. DIR. Rucker is a
passed assistant surgeon in the United
States public health and marine hos
pital service.
Yet he continues "such a crea-
ture does exist, and in many varying
forms is found in almost every quar-
ter of the globe and upon practically
every animal having a hairy coat. 1t
is only in recent years, however, that
| this insect, the fea-thefe, the secret
is out--has excited anything more than
a natural curiosity on the part of the
scientists who desire to know and cat
alog every living thing upon the sur
face of the earth.
almost every animal having a coat of
hair has his own particular variety of
flea. In other words, fleas vary with their
host; but one host may harbor six diff
ferent species OF feas, or one species
may occupy six different hosts. In gen.
eral 1t may be said, however, that each
flea bearing animal has its own choice
stock within its flea preserves For ex-
ample. man elects the Puex irritans
| (parenthetically 1t may be noted that this
species Is also chosen by the skunk and
the hog); the dog, the Ctenocephalus
CAMS, while the mouse has little blind
| flea of its own.
THE Ceratophyllus fasciatus. the com
mon rat flea of the United States, has 8.
collar of heavy spikes about its neck,
giving it the appearance of a Fifth ave-
nue. bulldog; the Ctenopsylus musculi,
the mouse flea, is blind: the Ctenocepha-
lus CAMS has large cavalryman mus
tache of heavy spines; the Pulex irritnns
| is globuar in shape and has no collar at
ALL while the rabbits affinity, the Hop
lopsyllus affinus, has two heavy clasping
plates resembling a pair of Ice tongs
with which he anchors himself to his vic
tim.
THE flea has an oval body which is
fiattened to permit easy progress through
the hair of its host. 1t Is as though this
insect had been literally narrowed so that
it might move with ease in the hairy
forest which it inhabits 1t is covered,
armadillo-hke, with heavy plates of
ehitin laid on like shingles of house.
This chitin is hard, born-like substance
which is nsoluble in acids, and Is dis
solved only by strong alkaline solutions.
We thus see that the insect has been
provided by nature with an almost I'M
pregnable defensive armor.
AT the points where the plates overlap
are the openings of the respiratory appa-
ratus and 1t is through these that the
flea breathes. These are "a in number,
and the only vulnerable points on the
insect. in fact almost the only way to
kill fieas il we except crushing and star
walton, is by means of fine, moist dust
such as buhach, which clogs the respira-
tory orifces, or by poisonous gases.
Fitted over the tail like saddle and
protected by an innumerabie number OF
fine bristles Is the organ of smell. the py-
gidium. This is roughtly triangular In
shape and consists of plate-like struc-
ture having a number of sensory pits
which look as though they had been
| ,unched out Immediately below this
takes the place of a nostril. The air
passing over the pygidium to this open
| ing irritates the hne brstles, thus trans
hitting the sensation of smell. This Or
| gan Is very necessary TO the flea on &C
count of the almost utter lack of tactic
sense, and he depends very largely upon
1t in hunting for food.
| .In common with the rest of the animal
world, II we except mankind, the male Is
much more adorned than its better hail.
who is modestly arrayed in neatly Mt
| ting suit OF brown armor. The ladies' are
inclined to the petite being perhaps
}three-fourths the size of the stronger sex
| They far outnumber the latter, however,
ard hence In courtship the male assumes
the passive role in very lordly manner.
With absolute lack of gallantry he is-
| nores the other sex. who must seek ms
| society If she wishes a mate. 1t is very
| amusing to watch the efforts or nlrts-
tious flea to capture beau, but. having
seized hold of him. she cuddles closely III
his embrace entangling herself In de-
termined manner in his spines.
"The fea's head is armed with an
elaborate biting apparatus. which acts
both as a weapon of offense and a
means of securing food On dither sloe
lis large triangular anchpr. which
firmly Erasps the skin OF pe victim
and enables the insect 10 eHectudiiy ~
sert che piercing organs. These con-
stst of two lances, each having sharp
smear shaped head, below which Is o
series of saw teeth. Between and above
them is a sharp stylet. In biting. all
three are inserted simultaneously, the
saws working back and forth until
good oepning is made and now OF
blood Is started.
MANY of the fieas have the disgust
ing habit of deposlting their excreta al
the same time they secure their meal
The human flea is the worst hammered
In this particular, and 1t Is we'll estab-
lishd that 1t Is in this way he infecti
his victim with bubonic plague. Hav-
Ing eaten previously from a plague
stricken animal, re has taken into him
self very large number of pest bac.
terra. These have been frequently
, fonud in the dejecta of the hea, and
NAV be deposited upon the skin OF {
healthy victim. who subsequently rubi
the irritated parts. The bacilli are
| thus forced into the minute youndt
made by the flea. inoculating the vic
tim with disease. This Is not mat
ter of scientific speculation. but hal
been thoroughly proved by accurate
and painstaking experiments In many
: parts of the world.
| THE flea is provided with six legs ar.
ranged in three pairs. which become
progressively longer as you go aft
There is nothing very remarkable
+ ~