SIPHONAPTERA. 49I 



spines also aid them in their efforts to escape, as every 

 wriggle of the body pushes it forward. When once out of 

 the clutch of an enemy, they quickly leap away. 



The head is broadly joined to the thorax. There are no 

 compound eyes ; but on each side of the head there is a 

 large ocellus, and hidden in a groove behind the ocellus is 

 the antenna. The mouth-parts are formed for piercing and 

 sucking ; the sucking-tube is formed of the upper lip and the 

 two mandibles ; the maxillae are small, triangular plates and 

 bear long, four-jointed palpi ; the labium is minute and bears 

 a pair of terminal, three-jointed palpi. The mesothorax and 

 metathorax each bears a pair of flat scales, which are sup- 

 posed to be rudimentary wings. The legs are long and 

 strong, and fitted for leaping ; the hinder pair are the larg- 

 est and the middle pair next in size. 



The eggs are scattered about the floors of dwellings and 

 in the sleeping-places of infested animals. The larvae are 

 slender, worm-like creatures, with a distinct head and with- 

 out legs (Fig. 598). They have biting mouth-parts, and feed 

 upon the decaying particles of animal and vegetable matter 

 always to be found in the dirt in which they live. When 

 full-grown the larva spins a cocoon within which the pupa 

 state is passed. 



Of the domestic animals only the dog, cat, rabbit, pigeons, 

 and poultry have fleas. They are most common on dogs 

 and pigeons. But the species of fleas do not appear to be 

 so strictly limited to particular animals as are the lice andl 

 some other parasites ; for the species that commonly infests 

 dogs and cats will also attack man without hesitation, and 

 in this country seems to be more troublesome to our race 

 than the Human-flea. 



To rid a dog or cat of fleas it should be dusted with 

 Persian insect powder (Pyrethruni)^ and its sleeping-place 

 thoroughly cleaned. The bedding in kennels should be of 

 some substance which can be replaced frequently, as shav- 

 ings or straw, and when replaced the old bedding should be 



