SIPHONAP TER A. 
49 1 
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 and 
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 
