102 NATUKAL HISTORY. 



buries in the skin, and the legs are adapted for leaping. 

 Fleas are not only the pests of man, but harbor in the 

 hair of dogs, cats, etc. ; it is said that they do not trouble 

 horses, because the odor of that animal is offensive to 

 them. They never live in localities, like the louse, but 

 spring about everywhere. They deposit their eggs in 

 rotten wood or damp dust, the larvae soon appear, and 

 shortly afterwards the flea is developed. The female is 

 larger than the male ; the trunk is provided with two 

 valves, or rather feelers, on each side, between which it 

 can move back or forwards. It is seldom met with in 

 the torrid zone. These little creatures possess remark- 

 able strength, and oftentimes overleap a space one hun- 

 dred times greater than the length of their bodies. They 

 have been instructed to perform many wonderful feats, 

 which, exhibited by itinerant showmen and known to 

 most, need no particular description ; however, it is curi- 

 ous enough to see them draw miniature wagons and can- 

 non, which greatly exceed their own bodies in size and 

 weight. 



The Sand Flea (pulex penetrans), called in America 

 Chigre. is very common in South America, where it 

 lives in the sand ; is only one-third as large as the com- 

 mon flea, but resembles it closely in bodily structure, 

 except that the legs are not so long. The female chigre 

 insinuates herself beneath the skin, particularly about 

 the feet and toes, where she deposits her eggs. These 

 are carried in a kind of sack under the posterior portion 

 of the body, and thus inserted beneath the nails or in 

 other portions of the skin, cause great pain and ill-con- 

 ditioned sores. The only remedy is to extract the flea 

 and sack at once, taking care not to break the latter. 

 This is easily done by attending to the first intimation 



