90 mU'i'ISH ORTHOITERA. 



Reports of its being so taken are rare, and apparently 

 must be looked upon merely as casual occurrences. 

 The following case, however, is interesting. On 

 31 January 1911, when " the country was iron-bound 

 in a black frost," Burr found B. germanica and 

 B. oriental is swarming within a rubbish-heap in a 

 brickyard near Cheriton, Kent. Though the weather 

 was very cold, the fermentation in the large heap of 

 ashes and refuse produced much heat. In this case, 

 of course the congenial warmth accounts for the 

 presence of these cockroaches out-of-doors.* Finot 

 says that there are reports of its having been found in 

 France upon trees and under dry leaves ; but he 

 considers the cases accidental or erroneous. t 



Unlike most cockroaches, this one has several 

 common names. At Aldershot, I understand, it is 

 sometimes called the " Shiner," which term is quite 

 appropriate. Popular opinion in France and Russia 

 points to Germany as the home of this cockroach, a 

 belief which Linnaeus has stereotyped in its specific 

 name. It is therefore not surprising that in Russia it 

 should be called the " Prussian." In Germany, how- 

 ever, they will have none of this, and call it the 

 " Russian/ It seems to have a liking for the 



o 



neighbourhood of water-pipes and for similar situa- 

 tions, which may account for a Lancashire name- -the 

 " Steam -fly." At any rate it gets its American name 

 of " Croton-buo- ' from its beino- first noticed when 



o O 



water from the Croton River was led into New York. 

 In this connection it might be mentioned that it was 

 found swarming behind hot- water pipes in 1916 at a 

 Church Army shelter at Swansea (in lift. H. R. 

 Wakefield). 



In a particular locality it often swarms, but may at 

 the same time have a very restricted range. Its 

 migratory habits have been treated by Howard. J 

 B. germanica is said to have been introduced into 



* l Entomologist/ 1912, p. 115. 



t ' Faune de la France/ Orth. p. 81. 



' Insect Life/ vii, p. 349. 



