FLEAS. 19 



by hundreds of fleas. Rainy summers are most favorable for such 

 development, supplying enough dampness to the dust, which is left 

 undisturbed in the cracks, successfully to mature the eggs and fleas 

 which are present. The original stock of fleas must, of course, be 

 derived from pet dogs or cats which occupied the house before it was 

 vacated, or, as often happens, dogs may take up their abode under or 

 around the house in the absence of the occupants. Thus great num- 

 bers of eggs are dropped, and breeding proceeds undisturbed. It 

 should be noted that the stray dogs and cats which are likely to find 

 homes in unoccupied buildings are often heavily infested with fleas, 

 usually much more so than animals with a home and having more or 

 less attention paid to them. 



In this country the dog flea is not known to be responsible for the 

 transmission of any disease, but it holds a position of distinct im- 

 portance as a household pest. Its importance as an enemy of the 

 dog and cat is not small. Breeders of fine cats and dogs often have 

 considerable trouble in ridding their stock of fleas, and hunting and 

 other dogs, particularly in the South, are kept in poor condition as 

 a result of gross infestation. The fact that one stage of a tapeworm 

 which commonly infests dogs and occasionally children in this coun- 

 try lives within the dog flea still further increases the importance 

 of this parasite. 



THE STICKTIGHT FLEA. 1 



One need but visit a few poultry farms or inquire of almost any 

 farmer with his little flock of chickens for home use in the southern 

 and southwestern portions of the United States to get some idea of 

 the importance of the so-called " sticktight flea " (Echidnophaga 

 gallinacea Westw.). Other colloquial names which are applied to 

 the insect are " third-party flea," " chicken flea," or " black flea." 

 The name chicken flea is applied because of the frequency with which 

 chickens are infested. Black flea is a name applied less frequently and 

 is given on account of the very dark color of the adult fleas. The name 

 " sticktight " is used most generally in the South, and it is aptly ap- 

 plied. The species differs markedly in feeding habits from most of 

 our common species. It seldom hops about, biting here and there, as 

 in the case of the dog and human fleas, but when a suitable host is 

 found it settles down, deeply inserting the mouth parts, and remains 



1 In a publication just issued (Herrick, Glenn W. Some external parasites of poultry 

 with special reference to Mallophaga, with directions for their control. Cornell Univ. 

 Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 359, p. 230-268, fig. 95-116, Apr., 1915.), the point is brought out 

 that the European hen flea, Ceratophyllus gallinae, was received from Abington, Mass., 

 and Barker, N. Y. In each of these cases the flea was collected in hen houses, and the 

 collectors state that the insect was very annoying, especially to human beings. Prof. 

 Herrick calls attention to the fact that Mr. C. F. Baker reports the collection of a single 

 specimen of this flea at Ames, Iowa, and refers to a note by Dr. M. Francis to the effect 

 that the species occurred at Bryan, Tex. It is possible that in time this insect may 

 become a pest of some importance to poultry in the United States. 



