168 SUPPLEMENT TO THE ORDERS 



of his vision. Better to be so employed than in fabricating 

 engines of destruction, or mingling in scenes of dissipation, 

 vice, and folly. 



In studying so small an animal as the flea, many subjects 

 of admiration present themselves to our mind. What prodi- 

 o-ious force of muscle must not that be which enables this 



& 



insect to raise itself thirty times its height ! How singular 

 the structure of that tube with which it sucks our blood ! 

 Nature, with her usual wisdom and foresight, has given this 

 animal a compressed form, which enables it to insinuate itself 

 with more facility between the hairs of animals, and conceal 

 itself there. She has encased its body in a sort of armour, 

 by enveloping it in a firm and elastic skin, capable of resist- 

 ing the pressure of our fingergi. 



It is not necessary to enter into any detail here, of all the 

 means which have been prescribed for the destruction of these 

 troublesome insects. Some recommend the placing in apart- 

 ments plants of a powerful and penetrating odour, such as 

 savory, wormwood, &c., or acrid plants, such as persicaria, 

 or vegetables with glutinous leaves, and branches of the 

 alder. Others have recourse to a mercurial unguent, to boil- 

 ing water, into which simply mercury has been put, and 

 which is scattered throughout the chamber. Some prescribe 

 the vapour of sulphur. The inhabitants of Dalecarlia, place 

 in their habitations a hare's skin. These insects take refuge 

 there, and are then easily destroyed by fire or water. 



We often murmur against Nature, and consider fleas and 

 other vermin as a spot which soils the beautiful picture 

 which she presents to our eyes. But let us be reasonable, 

 and admire the wisdom of her designs, in having chosen the 

 sensation of pain as a sentinel to give us warning of the con- 

 sequences of our vices, or the irregularity of our habits. 

 We should conform ourselves to her views. Cleanliness 

 without fastidiousness should be observed in our dwellings. 



