iv SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I4I 



The present work is such a compilation, for it assembles what has 

 been gleaned from approximately i ,700 sources, including correspond- 

 ence with a large number of other workers. Original observations 

 during some eight years of concentrated effort in U. S. Army Quar- 

 termaster research laboratories are a valuable supplement to what 

 others have done, and with this background of experience the authors 

 are especially well qualified to appraise previous work. Seldom has 

 a compilation been done so thoroughly or a single large group of in- 

 sects been the subject of such uninterrupted effort. 



The contents gives the categories of subject matter treated and the 

 introduction discusses the value of this assembled information and 

 offers suggestions for future study. No longer are cockroaches re- 

 garded only as disagreeable pests; many species appear to be im- 

 portant, actually or potentially, as carriers of disease. Recognition of 

 this importance has grown considerably, even in the period since 

 World War II. Consequently, anything that increases our knowledge 

 of the basic bionomics of cockroaches will be consulted widely for 

 factual information and for clues to new approaches. 



In spite of this extensive compilation, the limitations of present 

 information about cockroach bionomics must be kept in mind. The 

 cited observations of many writers were fragmentary, or their con- 

 clusions disagreed. But it is fundamental to scientific inquiry that we 

 should know and attempt to evaluate the results of previous study, and 

 that is what Drs. Roth and Willis have done. Fortunately, their re- 

 view is readily available. Sometimes, a piece of work fails to be of 

 maximum value because the results are not generally accessible to 

 later students. For this reason I am especially glad that the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, by disseminating the results of the authors' labors, 

 has this opportunity to exercise one of its traditional functions — that 

 of diffusing knowledge. 



Throughout the period of research by Drs. Roth and Willis at 

 Natick, I was in frequent correspondence with them, and I admire 

 their many accomplishments. Our warmest commendations should 

 go not only to them personally but also to those in administration 

 who encouraged their fundamental research and who aided in the 

 financial support of this publication. 



Ashley B. Gurney 



Entomology Research Division 



United States Department of Agriculture 



