MAN AS FOOD FOR ANIMALS 4I 



There are several hundred kinds of fleas, most of which are 

 parasitic on the mammals, some on birds, one only on a snake. 

 A number of these, especially the human, dog, cat, rat and 

 squirrel fleas, are important as pests of man. Plague, as well 

 as other diseases of more or less importance, is transmitted 

 by certain of these insects. 



Of the so-called bugs, the bed-bugs are best known as para- 

 sites of man. There are tv/o widely distributed species, one 

 in the tropics, the other in cooler regions, and a third in West 

 Africa which specialize on man, though they will suck the 

 blood of various mammals and even birds if no human being 

 is available. Other closely related forms live on birds, bats, etc. 

 Strangely enough these insects have not been definitely proved 

 to transmit disease. 



The assassin or reduviid bugs include a number of large and 

 active insects ferocious in disposition and bloodthirsty in 

 habits which frequently, or even habitually, prey upon man. 

 These are especially numerous in the American tropics, ex- 

 tending northward into the southwestern and southern states, 

 with a few in the northern states and some in Africa and Asia. 

 Those which most frequently prey upon man are usually known 

 as "big bed-bugs." While these "big bed-bugs" have an 

 almost painless bite, the bite of nearly all the rest, which 

 attack man only casually or accidentally, is very poisonous and 

 painful. In the northeastern states the best known is the so- 

 called " kissing-bug, " a purplish black sort which bites very 

 severely; but one or two others are much larger, the "wheel- 

 bug," for instance, reaching an inch and a half in length. In 

 South America some of these bugs transmit a serious disease 

 caused by trypanosomes. There are quite a number of true 

 bugs in other groups which will sometimes attack man. Nearly 

 all the larger water bugs will bite severely if handled carelessly. 



Passing now to the spiders and their allies, we find very 

 many human parasites among the ticks and mites. All of the 

 ticks are parasitic, mostly on mammals, but also on birds and 

 reptiles, and many, both of the bird and mammal ticks, attack 



