Year: 1873

What is "Pulex IrritansI" This
formidable name dear reader, is the
scientific cOgnomen of that formidable
little monster, the flea. These minute
pests have been made to do, what by
nature, they are ill-caIculated for,
namely, To administer to the amuse-
ment of mankind, showing an amount
of docility truly surprising whe n
brought under the subsection Of skilled
trainers. Novices they are generally
adroit enough to elude. The follow
ing humorous description of the per-
formances of troupe of these little
comedians we copy from the Natural
lists Note Book -


IF any inquiring reader wishes to
know whether that little tormentor,
scientifically known as "Pulex Irritan,"
and vulgarly as the flea, has ever been
found of any use in the economy of
natures realm, we are happy to inform
him that we can answer the question
in the affirmative. 1t must not be i'm
agined that we are going to discuss
the question whether it is desirable that
the human form should be subject to
sandry little ass,a,a.ing bites, which
are liable TO make ones angry passions
rise, or whether the ordinary avoca-
tions of fieaish life are at all beneficial
to humanity at large. Our object is
10 place him before our readers rs we
have seen him, in a new light, earning
hpnnvt l,,.af;hnA1 tx,tta ;s-f, .
by the sweat of his brow and afFording
a subsistence to the individual whose
philanthropic ingenuity helped him to
such desirable end.


From information received" Ito use
police parlance) we went to an exhibi-
ton opened by Mr.. Kitchingman, in
order to view the performances of his
stud of trained fieas, or, as worded in
his announcements, "of trained apter-
Gus insects, the only specimens of the
articulata in the world ever taught to
perform" These apterous laborers
were harnessed by means Of an extreme
ly fine hair or fibre of silk, which was
tied round their bodies, having the two
ShN' oco'N
their backs and fastened 70 a split in a
tiny straw, which formed the pole of
the carriage they were engaged in
drawing. We must confess that at
first we entered the room with some
feelings of alarm, suggested by the
thought that some of the menageric
might escape but this was soon dis
sipated at the sight of their burden,
which at once set our minds at rest.


The performances were highly in
teresting and considerably varied.
One flea was engaged in a swing, his
motion being caused by his kicking
violently against one side of well in
which he was placed, which eXertion
bumped HIM against the other side,
and made him Indignantly jump away
again, SO that the unfortunate creature
was in perpetual state Of kicking.
Another hauled up little ivory bucket
from well, while third, drew a ship
along tight rope, walking upside
down. A fourth was occupied in turn
ing cardboard cylinder after the man
ner of a tread-mill, but two others,
still more unhappy, were occupied in a
compulsory see-saw worked Dy each in
turn giving vigorous spring into the
air, thus bringing the other at the op-
posite of the balance, to the ground.
The largest, and consequently, We
presume, the LATEST, declined to jump
at all, but remained sitting quietly
down, leaving his comrade miserably
suspended from the beam, frantically
clutching at the air in the vain attempt
TO reach the ground. A military pulex
was engaged in firing off q miniature
cannon, but on former occasion the
snock was too much for his nervous
system, so that when we were present
he was unable to perform. The exhi-
bitor kindly gave US a good deal Of
information about his collection which
was very interesting. The feas are
generally imported from Russia and
Belgium, as being larger and more
dOcile than the English ones, and are
set to work Immediately, the training
beginning with q starvation Of two
days. At first they are very refractory.
persisting in progress by series Of
violent jumps instead Of proper jog
trot but after a week or so they sober
down and draw their burdens steadily,
unless stirred up 10 violent exertion,
when they will gallop vigorously for a
few inches, but sit down to rest and
regain their breath directly Afterwards
After they once learn to walk steadily,
we are told, it is difficult 70 persuade
them to leap again.


At night all the performers are un'
harnessed and fed on the employers
hand, after which repast they repose in
a box of cotton wool. II at tnight any
performer does not feed heartily, and
with q good appetite, his progress il
lproportionsteiy languid and slow tht