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Show New Boast for the California Boosters CALIFORNIA'S Native Sons have now another record on which to boast ttie state of their birth. A bulletin Issued by the Department of Agriculture announces that the high-Jump record for fleas Is held by a California flea. The California Cali-fornia Infect also holds the hrond-Jump hrond-Jump record. The department has neglected neg-lected to state the name and pedigree of this flen, but does give that of the scientist who reported upon 1ilm- a distinguished entomologist named Mitzmim. The high-Jump rerord Is Inches and the broad-Jump, 1.1 Indus. The btirenu of entomology has pnld a good deal of attention to flcns, Imt apparently has done so reluctantly, for It prefaces Its moKt comprehensive report on the subject with the statement state-ment tlmt "fleas lnne forced themselves them-selves en man's attention for many centuries." The report notes that Ileus are annoying to mankind and are a source of eoiiHlilernhle worry to ilot;s and other animals. Rut It also Is stated that their presence Is more e- Y rlous than mere annoyance ; they are carriers of disease germs, particularly of the piHgue. Leprosy and other diseases dis-eases also are declared to be traceable trace-able to the annoying flea. The government scientists did a thorough Job of Investigating fleas after af-ter they had forced themselves on their attention. They discovered that there are more than too different varieties va-rieties of this tiny, predatory Insect and that some creatures, notably rnts, may be Infected with at least twenty dlffereut species. Tliere are only two kinds which usually pay any attention to man, fortunately. for-tunately. These qre the human flea which has the Impressive Latin namn of pnlex trritans. and the dog flea, ctenoeephrilus canus. The flen Is produced from ect's of which some 450 are laid every d iy by the female Insect. From two to twelve itays are reiiilreI for the hatching of these enss. When first hatched the Ilea Is not very active, lacking eyes and let;s. Of course thess embryo creatures art err small |