106 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



About fifty years ago an ingenious Italian (said to have belonged to a 

 good family in bis own land), was employed by Sir Edmund Head, as stew- 

 ard, and afterwards in tbe same capacity by the Stadacona Club of Quebec. 

 Bertolotto — for that was his name — observing the structure of the flea, its 

 great strength, and its rigid, protective armor, conceived the idea of har- 

 nessing the insect, and turning it to account for the amusement of himself 

 and his friends. 



And here I would say that I am indebted for most of the information 

 that I can give, respecting Bertolotto and his Fleas, to D. Jewell, Esq., 

 broker, who was intimately acquainted with Bertolotto, Lt. Col. Gray of 

 H. M. Customs, who was a member of the Stadacona Club during the time 

 of Bertolotto's stewardship, and the Rev. E. A. "VV. King, M.A., Rector of 

 St. Peter's, who witnessed one of Bertolotto's exhibitions in Boston, Mass., 

 at the time of the American Centennial (1876). These gentlemen are all 

 living in Quebec. 



Bertolotto broke his fleas of the habit of jumping, by confining them 

 in a glass tube about half an inch in diameter. He fastened a silken tie 

 around the waist of each; by means of this he could attach them to various 

 contrivances. He made a small carriage, fastened fleas inside as passengers, 

 a flea on the bos as coachman, and a flea behind as footman or guard. Then 

 favstened fleas to the pole as horses. These soon found that "a long pull, a 

 strong pull, and a pull all together," was the way to advance; and so the 

 equipage moved on, to the delight of the observers. A number of like con- 

 trivances made up a show, that from its very novelty, became popular, and 

 consequently remunerative; and Bertolotto travelled to exhibit it, 



I have been told that, on a certain occasion, when giving a parlour en- 

 tertainment, before some exalted personages, Bertolotto discovered, to his 

 dismay, that his leading performer, his best trained flea, which he had 

 named Napoleon, had made its escape. In the warmth of his southern tem- 

 perament he bewailed his loss — "Oh, my Napoleon ! My Napoleon is gone ! 

 What shall- 1 do?" 



As the escape of Napoleon the Great from Elba occasioned dismay 

 amongst the powers of Europe, so the escape of Napoleon the Little occa- 

 sioned disturbance in the minds of the ladies present — they anticipated dire 

 attacks. 



Presently one of the fair ones hastily left the room. Soon afterwards 

 a maid came in, bearing a plate, and on the plate a glass, and under the 

 glass a ft,ea. Bertolotto welcomed it with delight. But telling the story 

 afterwards he said, "Lo and behold, it was not my Napoleon at all!'' 



The Rev. Mr. King thus described the performance he witnessed: — 

 "Bertolotto stood behind a counter, and had a sheet of glass before him. His 

 visitors were seated round the room. Three or four persons came up to l;he 

 counter at a time. Bertolotto first exhibited a small house, that he called 

 the "Fleas' Hotel" — he had about 50 fleas in it. Then an uneducated -flea, 

 fastened by a fine gold chain to a small ball, was shown. This flea jumped 

 about wildly. After that a Flea Orchestra was exhibited ; about twenty- 

 five fleas, each bearing a minute imitation musical instrument, were placed 

 in a semicircle, and went through the motions of playing upon their instru- 

 ments, while a musical box gave forth a tvme. The Prince of Wales in In- 

 dia was represented; a toy elephant bearing a howdah was set out; fleas 

 represented the prince and his attendants, and a flea was the mahout. A 

 Military Review ; the Coach and Horses ; a Flea working a windlass that 

 brought up a small bucket, etc., etc., were shown." 



