100 



HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GO S S IP. 



Flea (Pulex muris). A pretty little flea {Pulex 

 musculi) is found on the mouse. 



Fig. 59. Squirrel Flea {Pulex sciurorum), male. 



Besides these there are the Hedgehog Flea (Pulex 

 erinacei) and the flea of the hare {Pulex leporis). 

 There may be others found on our native mammals; 

 but these, at least, seem to be good and distinct 

 species. 



In addition we may mention those found upon 

 birds. The Bird Flea is occasionally spoken of as 

 though there were but one, nevertheless the Swal- 



Fig. 60. Bird Flea, male. 



low Flea {Pulex Mrundinis), the Martin Flea {Pulex 

 bifasciatus), the Starling Flea (Pulex sturni), the 

 Pigeon Flea (Pulex cohimbee), and the flea of the 

 barn-door fowl (Pulex gaUhue), are all regarded as 

 good species. 



This enumeration, barren as it is, may be of ser- 

 vice as indicating the known species found in these 

 islands, and may lead some of our readers to look 

 out for fleas on domestic and wild animals with the 

 assurance that they are not all alike. 



There is one other flea, fortunately not a British 

 species, which we have designedly left to the last. 

 This is the Chigoe or Jigger (Pulex penetrans) of 

 South America and the West Indies. According 

 to Stedman, this is a kind of small sand-flea, which 

 gets in between the skin and flesh without being 

 felt, and generally under the nails of the toes, where, 

 while it feeds, it keeps growing till it becomes of 

 the size of a pea, causing no further pain than a 

 disagreeable itching. In process of time, its opera- 

 tion appears in the form of a small bladder, in 

 which are deposited thousands of eggs or nits, and 

 which, if it breaks, produce so many young chigoes, 

 which, in course of time, create running ulcers, 

 often of very dangerous consequence to the patient. 

 Southey says that many of the first settlers in Bra- 

 zil, before they knew how to extract the chigoes, 

 lost their feet in the most dreadful manner. 



Fig. 61. Chigoe {Pulex penetrans). 



Burton, in his " Highlands of the Brazils," fur- 

 nishes us with something more concerning them. 

 "The jigger, seen under the microscope, has the 

 appearance of a small flea with well-developed 

 body, and of somewhat lighter colour. It crawls 

 more quickly, but does not jump so well as the 

 ordinary pulex. The popular belief is that the 

 male is never found. It burrows under the nails of 

 the hands and feet, especially the latter; I have 

 extracted as many as six in one day, but never from 

 the fingers. The sole is also a favourite place ; in 

 fact, the insect colonizes wherever the skin is 

 thick : hence its preference for negroes. Its pro- 

 per habitat is between the cuticle and the flesh, 

 into which it does not penetrate ; and where there 

 is not lodging room, it falls off after drawing blood. 



