88 FAMILY II.— COCKROACHES. 



quite often spoil the covers of books bj eating the size or 

 paste used in bindings. Glue under postage stamps and 

 similar things is frequently eaten by them. In more south- 

 ern regions they become much more destructive. Blackened 

 boots are ruined by them over night, as they devour the 

 upper surface of the leather to obtain the molasses u.sed in 

 making blacking; they also gnaw off the upper surface of 

 toe-nails of sleeping persons and even remove the ej^e-lashes 

 of sleeping infants. 



They are very fond of damp and warm situations, hence 

 those invading our houses are most numerous in kitchens 

 and especially in the vicinity of steam and water pipes. 

 Their peculiar flat shape enables them to enter even ver\' 

 narrow cracks, £ind on that account we find them some- 

 times very numerous below the baseboards in kitchens, or in 

 the drawers of tables, etc. Whenever they occur in numbers 

 their disgusting, fetid odor reveals their presence, and rooms 

 inhabited by them can be recognized by this odor, which is 

 very difficult to remove. In pantries crowded with these in- 

 sects the dishes will possess this odor even after having 

 been washed. But notwithstanding all these bad qualities 

 they possess one redeeming character; they are said to 

 devour bed-bugs. 



Most cockroaches deposit their eggs in a purse-like pod 



called an Ootheca (Fig. 51). 

 This pod varies in the differ- 

 ent genera in shape and size, 

 but is usually more or less 

 Fig. 51.— Ootheca of Peripianeta bcan-shapcd. It is divided in- 



orientalis; a, side; b, end view. Nat- 



ural size indicated by outline figiire tO twO rOWS of Cclls, Cach Ccll 



From Household Insects," published 



by u. s. Div. of Entomology. cuclosiug onc cgg, and pos- 



sesses at the upper ridge a longitudinal slit, through which 

 the young insects escape, frequently assisted by their 

 mother. Such a brownish bean-like pod is frequentl}^ seen 

 protruding from the end of the abdomen of a female, the lat- 

 ter carrying it until the eggs are ready to hatch. In some 



