674 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW YORK 
FIELD FLEA. OTHER SPECIES. 
one commenced whirling, swinging the smaller one around and around as 
we sometimes see a man in play grasp a child under-its armpits and whirl 
around with it. As if to prevent himself from becoming dizzy, the larger 
one after a few revolutions reversed his motion, whirling now in the oppo¬ 
site direction, and after a short time returned again to the direction lie 
first had. The two then became separated, and stood facing each other 
for a time, the larger one ever and anon advancing slightly, as if about to 
Jmnt against the small one, which receded at the same moment, and then 
advanced again as the larger one drew back. At length the larger one 
seemed to get hold of the palpi or mouth of the smaller one, pinching it for 
a moment, and then walked away, the smaller one appearing for the instant 
to be semi-paralyzed with pain, recovering from which, it also walked off 
as though nothing had happened. 
After the full account which has been given of the Garden Flea, it will 
not be necessary for me to speak further of this species which so frequently 
occurs in company with it and has the same general habits. 
Several other species of this genus are known to me, but I am not at 
present prepared to describe them so fully and point out their distinctive 
characters so plainly, T fear, as will enable other persons to clearly identify 
them. The three following, however, are so strongly marked that a brief 
description will probably enable them to be readily recognized. 
4. The New York Ground-flea, Symnthurus Novceboracensis, is 0.08 long, 
and of a dull brownish yellow color throughout, its head and legs slightly 
paler than the body, its eyes only being black. The body is but little broader 
than the head, oval, slightly attenuated at its tip, with an impressed trans¬ 
verse line conspicuously separating the apex from the body. The antenna* 
are nearly the length of the body, long and slender, thread-like, elbowed 
in the middle, with but a single joint preceding the elbow, the remaining 
length being obscurely divided into (three?) joints. 
Several specimens, small and large, occurred under a board lying in a 
pasture field, in the month of November. 
5 . The Pretty Ground-flea, Symnthurus elegans, is 0.02 long, of a very 
pale yellow color, almost white, with a pale brown stripe along the middle of 
its back, and a wider black one upon each side of it, these stripes being 
common to the head and body. A still wider black stripe along each side 
of the body Antenn* dusky, their basal portion pale, '(he body is glo¬ 
bular, without any projection at its tip, and is a third broader than the 
head, which is also globular. The black stripes upon the. back are often 
somewhat interrupted, or have a curdled appearance as if composed of a 
number of confluent black spots and clouds of different size's.. 
Variety a. The middle stripe upon the head black instead of pale brown. 
Variety b. The middle stripe wholly obliterated and wanting. 
The history of the specimens from which the above description was drawn 
is briefly as follows: Some diseased wheat straws sent to me from Virginia 
