THE FLEA. 



WHILE great pains are devoted to the breeding of 

 horses, cattle, and sheep among animals, to that 

 of several kinds of birds, and to the propagation of fish, the 

 flea has been left to shift for itself, and has managed to 

 thrive. Whether the flea was, in the first place, an in- 

 habitant of all terrestrial portions of the globe, or whether, 

 starting from a common centre, it speedily spread itself 

 over the earth, is a point which has not been decided; 

 but the habits of the flea admirably fit him as a traveller ; 

 he is a natural stowaway, and being able to subsist for a 

 long time without nourishment, he can perform the longest 

 journeys without inconvenience among the other belongings 

 of the traveller to whom he has temporarily attached him- 

 self. At the same time, he manages if possible to become 

 the personal attendant and companion of his fellow-voyager 

 for the time being, and to carry, as it were, his food as well 

 as his lodging with him. So constant are these migrations, 

 so assiduous are fleas in their attachment to man, that it 

 is computed that even if they started as distinct nationali- 

 ties constant intermixture must have so leavened them that 

 the whole race is now practically homogeneous, and speak 

 a language common to all. Although partial to comfort, 



