Year: 1875

FZeas Trained to Arts of Peace.
Signor Bertolotto, venerable Italian, up


wards of sixty, in connection with the flea has
established European reputation. Yesterday
| he had his menagerie at 80 Union Square and
invited select audience to witness his per-
formance, which to-day is thrown open to the
public. The exhibitor is a genial old man.


with voice modified by long Intercourse with
his minute friends; his hand, though large


possesses an exquisite delicacy of touch, and he


bends over and fondles his singular pets as


though he felt real affection for them. In


1882 he began the training of feas in England.
and amassng a considerable fortune retired
from professional life. Recently times have


gone hard with him, and again he summons


the feas to his rescue. The Professors present


troupe consists of 100 female fcss (maie- heas
are discarded as utterly intractable, which


were brought from Canada the Professor max
ing the delightful announcement that heas are
extremely scarce in the United States. The
performance yesterday opened with passage
at arms between Don Quixote aud Sancho
Panza, two bloodthrsty heas that mounted on
tiny paper horses attacked each other with
spears. The tiny paper horses being stationa.
ry, no great damage was done to either of the
contestants, but the feas really appeared actu-
ated by deadly hatred and whrled the little
spears about in furious manner. Next an IL
lustration of the immense strength of the crea-
lures was given in the performance of hercu
lean flea, who, being harnessed to little gilt
chariot, weighing just 200 times its own
weight, drew the same about the table. As an
agent Of locomotion, however, the flea is not as
much of success as in some other particulars,
for its legs, being centered in the immediate
neighborhood of its head, there is an unavoid-
able slovenly appearance about the way in
which it carries the remainder Of the body =
and besides, the natural gait of the flea is that
of the agile kangaroo, and it never can be
trained to assume comely trot However, the
little creature shambled around with the little
chariot and one of its fellows sat on the box, as
digniied driver as ever cracked whip.


A wild flea was next produced-one that had
never received any educational Advantages
Its habit was still that of creature who lives
only to hop and bite, and a chain and ball at
tached to the hind leg told of its unftness to
associate unrestrained with its civilized broth
ers. The chain and ball were of gold, the
former just one inch in length and containing
400 links. On the same microscopic plan all
the paraphernalia used was constructed, little
hats and coats fitting with remarkable nicely.
Other of these remarkable insects were made
to turn cranks and heist buckets, but the ehef'd'
0uure of the entertainment was some two dozen
feas at ball. At one end Of the ballroom
was complete orchestra, each flea holding its
peculiar instrument in readiness for the dance.
On the floor two couples were seen, and on
tiny sofa another was engaged, at least so said
the Professor, in a very desperate Irritation. A
music box was then set in motion, and at the
first sound the little insects began their respec-
tive vocations, those on the floor whirling
about in the dance, and those in the orchestra
working their legs, to which were attached the
instruments, in most enthusiastic manner
When the size of the flea is remembered the
task of handling them at all will be apprecia-
ted. Fortunately, they are as tough as porcu


pines, and can be unceremonously picked up
with little steel pinchers without hurting them.
The average lifetime Of flea is about eight
months, and as four months are required in
subduing their spirits and altering their gait
from hop to trot, it will be seen that the
process of training is an endless one.


Of the 500 feas in this collection, about half
are performers and have to be taken from their
harness of threads once day to be fed. Their
fodder is nothing else than the blood of the Pro-
fessor, who permits the whole flock to browse on
his left arm every morning.-N. 2. World.