230 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [December, 



May not they be rightly regarded as 'the doctrine of evolution shown in 

 small before our cA^es?' The growth of the individual, whether it be a flea 

 or one of ourselves, is a specimen of the growth of the race. An increasing 

 number now hold that these metamorphoses are ' only explicable on the 

 hypothesis of a really existing relationship among organized beings of widely 

 differing classes.' These, of course, are speculations which would lead us into 

 vast fields of controversy, which had better be avoided in an elementary 

 paper like this. At the same time do not let us forget that there ar'e lessons 

 to be learned from the observation of insect metamorphoses of more mo-- 

 mentous import than the mere recording of times and seasons. Amongst our- 

 selves I know there are some who feel it impossible to assume that tlie most 

 primitive of fleas was precisely what we find his lineal descendants in the 

 direct line to-day ; who cannot, with the facts of nature before them, believe 

 that each of the twenty-five distinct species of flea hopped into being ready 

 made and independently of antecedent organisms. Nay, more, we do not 

 believe that the earliest oi Jlea-like insects did so. Others of our number 

 would doubtless reject these views, but from what we know of each other, 

 we are confident that none of us will lose our tempers or pi-onounce the ban 

 of excommunication against the rest of his fellow-members. But while this 

 is so, I strongly suspect that outside of our little circle there still are persons 

 who would almost prefer a mythic origin for every organism to any which 

 savored of the ' fancies of modern science,' as they are termed bv well-mean- 

 ing people who, though they may have been specially trained in logic and the 

 humanities, yet fail to practically realize the wide distinction between a scien- 

 tific hyyothesis and a mere fancy. To be logical on their lines we should, I 

 submit, speak of the theory of gravitation as the ' fancy of gravitation ;' the 

 atomic theory should be ' the atomic fancy ;' the wave theory of light, 'the 

 wave fancy of light,' and so on. I should not hesitate to believe thei'e are 

 good people whose prejudice against evolution is so pronounced that they 

 would even greatly prefer a grotesquely marvellous beginning to any scien- 

 tific origin of species. ' Now, I have unearthed a theory for the creation, of 

 the first of fleas, which ought to satisfy the most decided of anti-evolutionists. It 

 will assuredly save them all further inquiiy after that unnatural caricature of 

 ' a missing link' which is the one thing needful from the non-evolutionist's 

 point of view. My story possesses the additional recommendation of having 

 been first started amongst the simple-minded nomadic patriarchs of Kurdistan. 

 Could a more convincing argument be urged on its behalf.^ Hear, now, how 

 the Kurds account for the flea and — certain other vermin thrown in rather 

 promiscuously, from a scientific point of view : — ' When Noah's ark sprang a 

 leak by striking against a rock in the vicinity of Mount Sindshar, and Noah 

 despaired altogether of safety, the serpent promised to help him out of his 

 mishap if he would engage to feed him upon human flesh after the deluge 

 had subsided. Noah pledged himself to do so, and the serpent, coiling him- 

 self up, drove his body into the fracture and stopped the leak. When the 

 pluvious element was appeased and all were making their way out of the ark, 

 the serpent insisted upon the fulfilment of the pledge he had I'eceived ; but 

 Noah, by Gabriel's advice, committed the pledge to the flames, and scattering 

 its ashes in the air there arose out of them fleas, flies, lice, bugs, and all such 

 sort of vermin as prey upon human blood ; and after this fashion was Noahs' 

 pledge redeemed.' 



Now, is not the fact that fleas, when they have the chance, still prey on 

 human blood, irresistible proof of the truth of the simple, child-like story 

 which I have just narrated ? Leaving this important point to be decided by 

 the anti-evolutionists, let me conclude in the words of Kirby and Spence : — 

 ' Don't you like fleas.? Well, I think they are the prettiest little merry 

 things in the world. I never saw a dull flea in all my life.' 



