The Flea 
63 
gleaned from this comparative illustration. 
If a man six feet high were able to jump 
with the same force as the flea he could 
take an upward spring three times the 
height of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The 
muscular power of the flea is quite uncanny, 
and in all probability it is the observation 
of this strength that has been at the bottom 
of so many hundreds of those frauds which 
for long years have been carried on under 
the guise of a pretended taming of the flea. 
Not very long ago it was announced that 
a scientist had so subdued the mental and 
muscular forces of a flea that it allowed 
itself to be attached to a miniature coach ! 
and tales are current of instances where two 
and even four have performed mighty 
deeds, working in perfect unison, as to 
time and effort. Probably all these fables 
have rested upon the wonderful strength 
of the flea, which being held in captivity by 
some means exerts herculean efforts to 
free itself, and these efforts have been 
used for pulling, drawing, or working some 
contrivance, so that many have been 
deceived into believing that the exertion 
is a voluntary one. It has been reported, 
