37 



female both elytra and wings are very rudimentary and the insect 

 resembles a nymph. B. orientalh has become so cosmopolitan in 

 its distribution that there seems to be a doubt as to what was its 

 original home. Linnaeus says: — "Habitat in America, hospitate 

 in Oriente." It is a native of America, but has taken up its abode in 

 the East. Further he says : — " Hodie in Russije adjacentibus 

 regionibus frequens incepit nuperis temporibus Holmiic, 1739, uti 

 dudum in Finlandia " — common at the present day in parts near 

 Russia, it has lately, 1739, reached Stockholm, and but just ap- 

 peared in Finland. He is mistaken with regard to America for B. 

 (irioitalis is a native of the East and does not belie its name. Fol- 

 lowing the trade routes it made its way to Holland and England in 

 the reign of Elizabeth. Early in the seventeenth century Swam- 

 merdam knew B. nrlentalis as an inhabitant of Holland, and spoke 

 of it as : — " Insectum apud Indicum, sub nomine Kakkerlak satis 

 notum " — the Indian insect well-known as Kakkerlak. In 1624 

 Moufet, in his " Insectorum Theatrum," speaks of its occurrence in 

 wine cellars, etc., in England. It seems to have spread here slowly, 

 for Gilbert White, in 1790, speaks of it as an unusual insect at 

 Selborne, and it is quite possible that it may still be absent from 

 some northern and western villages. It has, however, been observed 

 in the Scilly Isles and in the Orkneys, as well as in the Isle of Man. 

 By means of trade it has now spread practically all over the world, 

 but it still inhabits principally Asia and Europe— almost always, it 

 would seem, within doors. 



Periplan«ta americana, Linn., is a considerably larger insect 

 with fully developed wings in both sexes. In colour it is of a nearly 

 uniform rich sienna-brown; the central part of the pronotum is 

 somewhat darker than the margins. The antennae are particularly 

 long. Hailing originally, it would seem, from South America, it 

 has followed the trade routes over nearly all the world. From its 

 being so great a pest on board many ships, it is sometimes known 

 as the "ship-cockroach." In England it occurs in warehouses in 

 London, Dover, Goole, and elsewhere, in the Royal Horticultural 

 Society's Gardens at Chiswick, in a sugar refinery at Silvertown, 

 and there is little doubt in many other places. As a casual also it 

 is often met with. To Covent Garden it is introduced with fruit 

 and vegetables, and it often reaches Kew Gardens in cases of plants 

 from various parts of the world. Stephens recorded it as being 

 frequently taken in London previous to 1835. According to P>run- 

 ner : — " Cette Blattaire se rencontre dans le monde entier." 



Peri^laneta australasiae, Fabr., is an elegant insect, somewhat 

 smallec than its near relative, P. americana. The shorter antennne, 

 yellow mediastinal area, and the dark-centred pronotum with yellow 

 border are sufficient to distinguish it from the last. Possibly this 

 species is a native of Australia, but there seems to be considerable 

 uncertainty on this point. Though undoubtedly established in 

 Britain, it is a later arrival than P. americana. In 1886 it was 



