125 



fleas : therefore all fleas should be treated with suspicion 

 and the greatest care exercised to prevent their occurrence. 



THE CHIGOE OR JIGGER FL,EA(SarcopsyUa penetrans). Diptera. 



This insect is probably a native of tropical America, 

 and it attacks a great variety of domestic animals, in ad- 

 dition to man. The ad alt fleas attack their host in the same 

 way as the house flea. In addition to this, the adult female 

 burrows into the skin, especially under the toe nails, between 

 the toes and in any crack or crevice of the skin or flesh of 

 the foot. As the eggs develop, the body of the female 

 increases greatly in size until it becomes a nearly spherical 

 object, sometimes as large as a good-sized pea. This growth 

 of the body of the flea is accompanied by itching, severe pain 

 and swelling, sometimes resulting in a very serious ulcer. 



The jigger should be removed from the flesh as soon as 

 its presence is discovered, great care being taken to remove 

 the insect entire, since the bursting of the body, and tli 

 discharge of the eggs in the flesh of the host is likely to 

 produce a serious sore. To accomplish this, a slight incision 

 should be made with the point of a sharp, clean knife blade 

 and the flea carefully worked out by pressure at the sides. 



THE bed BUG (Cimex lectularia, L.). Hemiptera. 

 This disgusting and annoying insect (Fig. 140) is widely 



Fig - . 140. Bed bug - , 

 (a) adult female gorged with blood ; </a same from below. Enlarged. 



(From U.S. Dipt. Agric.) 



