[Illustration]
This very troublesome little animal multiplies very fast among old rags,
dirt, straw, and litter, where hogs, cats, or dogs sleep; and in the
hair and bristles of those creatures: therefore, as a means of avoiding
such unwelcome neighbours, in the springs the cleanly farmer scrapes up
the rubbish about his woodpile, and around his house and barn, and
removes it into his field, where it also repays him by manuring his
lands. They abound in warm countries, particularly in the southern parts
of France and Italy.
When examined by a microscope, the flea is a pleasant object. The body
is curiously adorned with a suit of polished armour, neatly jointed, and
beset with a great number of sharp pins almost like the quills of a
porcupine: it has a small head, large eyes, two horns, or feelers, which
proceed from the head, and four long legs from the breast; they are very
hairy and long, and have several joints, which fold as it were one
within another.