432 



THE CHIGOE. 



ANOTHER insect, termed Diactor bilineatus, belongs to the same family, and is remark- 

 able for the carious formation of the hinder pair of legs. In the genus of which this species 

 is an example, the tibise are expanded like the blade of a South Sea Islander's paddle, being 

 very flat, and not so thick as the paper on which this account is printed. In the present 

 sj>ecies, the coloring is very splendid, the whole of the thorax being rich emerald-green, with 

 a peculiar lustre, as if incrusted with the minutest of gems, and diversified with two longi- 

 tudinal streaks of light red. The latter color, however, always fades in process of time, as is 

 generally the case with all the shades of red in insects. The elytra are also green, but not so 

 sparkling in effect. It is a native of Brazil, and the family in which it is placed is the 

 Anisoseelidae. The broad leafy expansions of the legs are chestnut-brown, spotted with a 

 paler hue. 



APHANIPTERA. 



WE are now come to another order, deriving its name from the invariable absence of 

 wings, the name being derived from two Greek words, the former signifying invisible, and the 

 latter a wing. There are not many species belonging to this order, and they are all known by 



the popular name of Fleas. A magnified representa- 

 tion of the common FLEA is given in our illustration. 



These insects are notable for their extreme agility 

 and the hard shelly substance of their integuments, two 

 characteristics which are very useful in defending them 

 from foes, for in the first place they leap about so 

 quickly that they are not easily caught, and in the 

 second place they are so hard and polished, that even 

 when seized they are apt to slip through the fingers 

 * before they can be immolated to the just wrath of the 

 captor. As may be seen by reference to the engraving, 

 the mouth of these insects is very complex in its struct- 

 ure, and is a veritable surgeon's case of lancets, saws, 

 and probes. Although eager for blood to a proverbial 

 extent, Fleas can endure a very long fast without much 

 inconvenience. I have known a room to be unused for 

 years, and yet, when I became its unfortunate first 

 occupant, being rendered helpless by a broken leg and dislocated ankle, the Fleas came 

 swarming in positive armies to their long-delayed feast, like the locust hosts descending upon 

 a cornfield, and caused unspeakable miseries until they were routed by continual slaughter. 

 What food these insects may have found in an empty room is not easy to say, as, though the 

 larvae might, perhaps, have continued to subsist on the feathers of the pillows, the perfect 

 insects could not eat such juiceless substances, and must either have gone altogether without 

 food, or drawn their subsistence from some unknown source. 



Another species of Flea, the CHIGOE (Pulex penetrans), sometimes corrupted into JIGGER, 

 is a terrible pest in tropical countries, attacking human beings, and by its peculiar habits 

 causing severe injuries, unless they are checked at once. They mostly attack the feet, 

 generally preferring the bare spot just between the toe and the nail. When they have made 

 their way fairly under the skin, they swell to a very great size, the body becoming about the size 

 and shape of a sweet pea, and being filled with a vast number of eggs. Generally, those who 

 live in the Chigoe-infected regions are careful to have their feet examined every day, and the 

 offending insects dislodged with the point of a needle. Sometimes, however, one may escape 

 observation until it has obtained its full development, when its only external sign is a slight 

 swelling, with a bluish color. To extract one of these swollen insects is a matter of no small 



FLEA. Pulex irritant, a, Upper lip. b, Jaw. c, Feeler 

 of the under lip. d. Under lip. e, Feeler of the short, 

 not visible jaws, f and g, Larvas. (All the objects are 

 magnified ; the line underneath the large figure indicates 

 the natural size of the Flea.) 



