HOUSE FLEA. 45 



footless larva (see figure, p. 44), with a pair of horns, and a pair of 

 biting jaws, and is to he found in dry places, as (in houses) on rugs, 

 or cloths, or carpets, or any similar dry localities, where the eggs from 

 Flea-infested animals lying on them fall, and where the maggots feed 

 on the fragments of the various kinds of dry material to be found. 

 There they change to the chrysalis state in a cocoon, from which the 

 Flea soon emerges, and (necessarily) where the conditions have been 

 peculiarly favourable for the growth and development of the larva, 

 there will be peculiarly great presence of Fleas, and they will spread 

 intentionally or accidentally so as to be really serious inflictions in 

 the district. 



On September 22nd the following account of such a visitation was 

 sent me : — 



" One of the villages I have visited, . . . viz. the village of 

 Haslington, I found was literally swarming with the enclosed insects ; 

 cottages, fields, especially a large farmhouse (the inmates, it may be 

 mentioned, being scrupulously clean) ; these insects were found in 

 thousands in the house, bedrooms, personal clothing, as well as out- 

 side, really in small colonies ; better class as well as the poorer being 

 alike troubled." 



Inquiries accompanied as to the nature of the insect, reason of its 

 presence, and means of getting rid of it, with the further remark : — 



"All ordinary means have been used in the farmhouse which I 

 allude to with no success. This plague (for so it appears to be) 

 commenced about five weeks ago all at once, and shows no signs of 

 diminishing. I should be glad to know your opinion on the subject, 

 with the remedy, in order to make this known as soon as possible." * 



On November 30th, Mr. P. Hedworth Foulkes, of the College, 

 Beading, writing to me on the subject of the above Flea infestations, 

 observed : — 



" I heard just before coming back to Reading in September of a 

 similar plague in North Wales. Two or three houses belonging to 

 people in good position, as well as houses belonging to artisans, were 

 quite suddenly found to be swarming with the pest. There seemed 

 to be no reason to account for their sudden appearance. One house 

 was nearly two miles from the town, and the nearest dwelling three- 

 quarters of a mile away. In another case three houses in a block were 

 suddenly found to be practically swarming." — (P. H. F.) 



With regard to similar infestation (though not on such widespread 

 scale) I can speak from personal remembrance of Flea presence in the 

 buildings of a farmyard that I was acquainted with for many years of 

 my life, where a large covered poultry house and other covered 



* In this case I have not given my contributor's name, as I fim not sure that 

 he wished me to do so. 



