354 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Oct., '08 



fected rat (Mus de cum anus} taken from old Chinatown, nine- 

 ty fleas were obtained, eighty-five per cent, of which were 

 C. fasciatus. In Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley the rat flea 

 C. fasciatus predominates to a marked degree. Ninety-five per 

 cent, are the common species, the remainder being for the 

 greater part Ctenocephalus canis, the cat and dog flea. 



Ctenopsylla musculi Duges is suspected of being a recent 

 immigrant. This species was first collected in North America 

 by Dr. Duges from a seaport town in Mexico. It was origin- 

 ally described as a new species with the name Ctenopsylla mexi- 

 cana. It is, however, synonymous with Ctenopsylla musculi. 

 This species was found principally on ships from the orient 

 and on one ship which came from Mexican ports Ctenopsylla 

 musculi was found. It is found along the harbor front and 

 one-half mile inland. Rats from the orient are no doubt re- 

 sponsible for its introduction into San Francisco. 



Pule.v chcopis Roth, originally was collected by Rothschild in 

 Egypt, but is universal in its distribution. It has been recorded 

 from southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, but never 

 from North America. This is the flea which is charged with 

 eighty to ninety per cent, of insect transmission of plague in 

 India. It was collected from ships in the harbor which had 

 visited ports in the Philippines, Japan and Hawaii. It was col- 

 lected in San Francisco two blocks from the water front on 

 Mus decumanus, the brown rat. On shipboard its host was 

 found to be the black rat, Mus rattus. On land it was found in 

 company with Ctenopsyllus musculi on rats from a water front 

 grain warehouse. Nine species of this flea, Pulex cheopis, were 

 received from Assistant Surgeon Ebert, who removed them 

 from his person. Dr. Ebert is an officer in the United States 

 Public Health and Marine Hospital Service and employed in 

 plague quarantine on ships from the orient and South America. 

 It was while on duty sulfuring the holds of the S. S. "Mon- 

 golia" that he first became aware of the attacks of the parasites. 

 Fortunately for the victim, the "Mongolia" enjoyed a clean 

 bill of health. The significance of the oriental flea introduction 

 may be appreciated by the fact that eight or ten cases of the 



