COCKROACHES 125 



R. H. Lewis, in writing of a voyage taken by him 

 in 1835, gives an interesting account of the damages in- 

 flicted by cockroaches on board his ship in the following 

 words : " The ravages they committed on everything 

 edible was very extensive ; not a biscuit but was more or 

 less polluted by them, and among the cargo 300 cases of 

 cheeses, which had holes in them to prevent their sweating, 

 were considerably damaged, some of them being half 

 devoured, and not one without some marks of their resi- 

 dence." 



Another traveler, Sells, gives a graphic account of 

 the work of these insects as he saw them in Jamaica. 

 "This is the most annoying of the insect tribes in Jamaica, 

 devouring leathern articles of all kinds which have been 

 used, such as saddles, harness, gloves, boots, shoes, etc. ; 

 they devour the bindings of books after they have been 

 handled, and any perspiration has adhered to them ; they 

 crawl over and eat fruit and vegetables, dropping their 

 egg-cases and leaving their feces and an intolerable 

 stench wherever they travel ; they also eat the corks of 

 bottled wine, cider, and porter, causing the liquid to escape. 

 This may, however, be prevented by dipping the corks in 

 a thick mixture of quicklime and water, the latter being 

 occasionally impregnated with the bitter quassia. They 

 harbor in empty bottles which are rendered not only 

 difficult to clean, but almost impossible to sweeten again. 

 They also eagerly devour parchment, which material is 

 consequently never used for wills, deeds, conveyances, or 

 other legal documents, which the insects would very quickly 

 destroy. They have a great dislike to castor oil, which 

 is accordingly rubbed over boots, shoes, and other leathern 

 articles to protect them from their attack." Like the 



