100 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 3 



BLATTID NOTES 



By Arthur H. Rosenfeld, Baton Rouge. 



Eggs of Periplaneta americana L. 



At various times during 1908, examinations were made of ootheca 

 of the American cockroach, to determine the average number of eggs 

 in these pouches. The results of ten examinations are as follows : 



Date of Examination. 



Number Eggs In Obtheca. 



July 4 



August 1 



September 4... 

 September 7... 

 September 21 . 

 September 21 . 

 September 21 . 

 September 21 

 September 21 . 

 September 21 



10. 

 24. 

 28. 

 18. 

 24. 

 28. 

 28. 

 26. 

 28. 

 26. 



Average of 10 ootheca , 



24. 



Eating of Eggs 



On August 10, 1&08, in a cage containing eleven P. americana L., 

 one female was observed carrying a large ootheca. The following 

 morning it was found that the egg-case had been destroyed, nothing 

 but portions of the outer shell remaining. The cockroaches were sup- 

 plied with an abundance of food, hence the eating of these eggs was 

 not caused by starvation. 



Do Roaches Cause Fires? 



At the suggestion of Mr. Wilmon Newell, adults of P. americana 

 and Blatella germanica Linn., were placed in straight-walled glass 

 vessels with parlor matches, in order to determine the possibility, or 

 probability, of these insects setting fire to houses by igniting matches. 

 Fire in houses have several times been thought to have originated 

 through cockroaches or mice igniting matches by gnawing upon them. 



No food was supplied the insects in these tests. 



Two Periplaneta, placed in a Mason fruit-jar June 29, 1908, were 

 dead July 8th. Matches not ignited. 



Two Blatella germanica, placed in Mason fruit- jar with a few par- 



