A MILLIONAIRE'S HOBBY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11806, 16 December 1912, Page 6

A MILLIONAIRE'S HOBBY.

The following story may be-wiolly trucor otherwise, but the "New York-World" is responsible for it. The life ambition of one of the world's richest men is—fleas. He possesses them from everywhere—fleas from South .America, fleas; from Europe, fleas from the Arctic 6, and fleas froni Australia. The Hon.''.Charles, Rothschild, son of the: late Lord Rothschild, and a member of the -richest family in the world,, loves them all, : and has resolved his life into one. grand song whereof the refrain is fleas, * fleas, fleas. lii the "zoological museum owned by'/his brother, Walter Rothschild, at Thring, a little town in Herefordshire, thirty mile's from London/ Charles Rothschild wanders among his flea cabinets gloating over his rare specimens, planning the capture of more. For fifteen years he- has pursued fleas persistently, internationally, ■ paying large sums or /small sums to achieve his desire; until now his flea collection ranks' as the greatest in the world. . The average; pei-son imagines there is but oile kind of- flea. There are more breeds and grades oflfleas than there are fashions ofi Fifth-avenue on a bright "Sunday. Every dog has his fleas, and even, every cat. The music ox grows an: especial flea, and the silver fox has his o\vn .unique brand. Practically every species of 'animal' carries around excess baggage in the" shape of an individually designed flea. Charles Rothschild possesses 450 types of fleas. But his collection is not complete,: not. nearly complete, and the nianwho can dis-;' cover a kind of flea which Charles' Rothschild does not possess is on the way to gratitude and money. For England's great-flea expert is will-: 'ing to spend real money when it ebihes to getting what he wants.- Several- yeais ago he learned that the silver fox of the •' Arctic regions specialised on a brand of flea not at all common. He wanted that flea. At first he considered offering-a reward of £IOOO for it, but later decided to send an expedition ;that would be sure to get the especial insect and no other. It was not long before the good ship Bluebell cleared from, Quebec, and the skipper, F. G. Simpson, had orders not to return until he had captured that bright, particular flea.

A year went by. The Bluebell remained in the region of ice and 6no\v. Another year passed—three, four. Then into Quebec came the good ship with a Jiappy skipper and a jubilant crew.. The cargo was one of from the iPblar bear, the thick hair of which forms a haven for millions of these'parasites; fleas, from the musk ox, the'grey,wolf, theblue fox, the husky dog, and, best of all, from the silver fox. It was this elusive type of flea that had kept the ship so long in the Arctics. The silver' fox is hard to capture. Day after day the crew of the Bluebell tramped the wastes, setting traps, hunting and searching, but the stealthy silver fox refused to surrender. At last, however, patience had its reward, and not one but many inimitable specimens of the silvered ; variety were brought to bottle and to port. Charles Rothschild read cablegrams that night and was-jubilant. That he may further enhance his Ilea collection, Mr Rothschild has representatives in every part of the 'world. These men. who are professional insect catchers, get their orders to. go out -and procure especial types and then Ship them to England, and they'; are hard at it every day in the year. ■.

There are "other flea collectors with whom he exchanges specimens, for instance —C. F. Baker.'now in California on a" flea hunt. California, be it known, has more earnest and industrious fleas than any other part of: the world. Mr Baker is the author of'a bopk on fleas and, the .wicked part .they .play in spreading leprosy: '-' ', '.'": ■ '•">.' " For his African insects, of which there •ire many. Chaile's'Eoth'schilcl" lias peculiar facilities. His ..-brother, .Walter Rothschild, is as interested ill animals in general as Charles is in, tlieir'panisites'. His museums at Thring are the greatest show places of the little village, and he is constantly on the hunt for new specimens. A few years ago he decided to make an expedition into Africa. The trip was one of danger and many hardships. There were camps in the desert, in the jungles and on the sunbaked_veldts. There were the dangers of the hunt, but through it all Walter Rothschild did not foiget the instructions he.,ha3 carried with him from his brother Charles, "For goodness sake, save all the fleas!'V And 60, when some strange beast fell before the hunters' bullets their first task was to get out chloroform bottles and brushes and begin dipping iip fleas. Twenty or more, would be taken from the animal and place! in individual bottles,. labelled and packed carefully away.. From every animal killed by the Walter Rothschild expedition.-were taken fleas for- the brother ..who was waiting in England. There was joy in Thring when the expedition came home. Fifty new varieties"* of fleas! Rapture!. . ." This eminent«"collectorwith his singlespecialty is-thc- envy of'all othoreritomologists. ■ .-'■'-.;>; .-,:*...■'-'.;. .-'•- ■■