66 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. Ill, 



guinea pig yielded eighty-nine fleas; another brown and black 

 guinea pig yielded fifty-seven fleas; a pure white guinea pig 

 yielded fifty-seven fleas; and the other white guinea pig yielded 

 sixty fleas. These guinea pigs were kept together in the open 

 vessel under the same conditions of light and temperature. 



One experiment was conducted by using guinea pigs as traps 

 for fleas in an infested house. The results shown are relatively 

 meager due to the previous use of adhesive paper for flea trapping. 

 In this test six guinea pigs were permitted to wander for twenty- 

 four hours through the basement of the house. The fleas col- 

 lected from the guinea pigs were P. irriians found on the hosts as 

 follows : 



Color of animal Number of fleas 



Black guinea pig 1 



White guinea jjig ' 1 



Black guinea pig 1 



White guinea pig 1 



Black gviinea pig 



White guinea pig 



It is obvious from these experiments that color does not exert 

 the influence generally claimed for it. The white animals are no 

 more attractive to the fleas we have used than are the dark colored 

 ones. 



TRAPPING OF FLEAS WITH MEAT AS A BAIT. 



An idea prevails that fleas can be attracted and trapped on 

 account of their predilection for the odor of fresh meat. This 

 idea was put to test in an experimental way. On the 23rd day of 

 August, 1909, during a season in the year in which fleas were 

 extremely abundant, a vacant house, which was found to be flea 

 infested, was chosen for the experiment. To give an idea of 

 the abundance of the parasites, two attendants, who had occasion 

 to enter the first floor of the dwelling, remained for the period of 

 five minutes and emerged covered with fleas. Approximately 

 two hundred fleas were taken from their clothing and persons. 

 The materials used for the experiment were twelve sheets of 

 "tangle-foot" fly paper, distributed in pairs among three rooms 

 of the house. One sheet of each pair was supjjlicd with a small 

 fresh piece of cow's liver. Care was taken to distribute the sheets 

 in such a manner that the influence of light would be the same for 

 each ])air of sheets in the series. The sticky fly papers were left 

 undisturl)cd for a ])eriod of three days, then collected and exam- 

 ined. 



