82 THE HOUSE FLY—DISEASE CARRIER 
The House Centipede 
There is a small, rather fragile-looking centipede, 
known scientifically as Scutigcra forceps Raf., which 
for many years has been a constant inhabitant of houses 
in the Southern United States, and which seems to 
have been gradually extending its northward range. 
It is now occasionally found in houses as far north 
as Albany. N. Y., and perhaps even farther. 
It seems to be peculiarly a domestic animal; that is 
to say, it has accommodated itself perfectly to the con¬ 
ditions existing in human habitations. Its form and 
its sudden movements have made it an object of fear, 
especially to women and children. It is fond of damp 
localities, and is especially abundant in bathrooms, in 
basements, in cellars, and in ground-floor kitchens and 
pantries, where there is more or less dampness and 
warmth. It has been called the skein centipede, since 
when crushed its long legs look like a mass of threads. 
This creature, as has been shown by Marlatt (1896), 
seems to be a normal inhabitant of the southern tier 
of the United States, spreading north into Pennsyl¬ 
vania as early as 1849 and reaching New York and 
Massachusetts twenty or twenty-five years later. It 
is now common throughout New York and the New 
England States and extends westward beyond the 
Mississippi. 
The character of its mouth parts indicates that it is 
predatory and carnivorous in its habits; the jaws are 
strong, and its food consists principally of other in- 
