As with nearly all the insects associated with man, the hedbug has 

 had the habits now characteristic of it as far back as the records run. 

 It was undoubtedl}^ of common occurrence in the dwellings of the 

 ancient peoples of Asia. The Romans were well acquainted with it, 

 giving it the name Cimex. It was supposed by Pliny (and this was 

 doubtless the common belief among the Romans) to have medicinal 

 properties, and it was recommended, among other things, as a spe- 

 cific for the bites of serpents. It is said to have been first introduced 

 into England in loOo, but the references to it are of sucli a nature 

 as to make it ver}' probable that it had been there long before. Two 

 hundred and fifty years later it was reported to be very abundant in the 

 seaport towns, but was scarcely known inland. 



One of the old P]nglish names was "wall-louse." It was afterwards 

 very well known as the "chinch," which continued to be the common 

 appellation for it until within a century or two and is still used in 

 parts of this country. The origin of the name "bedbug" is not 

 known, but it is such a descriptive one that it would seem to have 

 been very naturally suggested. Almost everywhere there are local 

 names for these parasites, as, for illustration, around Boston they are 

 called "chintzes'' and " chinclies," and from Baltimore comes the 

 name "mahogany flat," while in New York tliey are styled "red 

 coats." 



The l)edbug has accompanied man wherever he has gone. Vessels 

 are almost sure to be infested with it. Jt is not especially limited by 

 cold and is known to occur well north. It probabl}' came to this 

 country with the earliest colonists ; at least Kalm, writing in 1748-49, 

 stated that it was plentiful in the English colonies and in Canada, 

 though unknown among the Indians. 



The bedbug belongs to the order Hemiptera, which includes the 

 true bugs or piercing insects, characterized by possessing a piercing 

 and sucking beak. The bedbug is to man what the chinch bug is to 

 grains or the squasli bug to cucurbs. Like nearl}^ all the insects 

 parasitic on animals, however, it is degraded structurally, its parasitic 

 nature and the slight necessitj' for extensive locomotion having resulted, 

 after many ages, doubtless, in the loss of wings and the assumption of 

 a comparatively simple structure. The wings are represented b3' the 

 merest rudiments, barel3' recognizable pads, and the simple ej'es or 

 ocelli of most other true bugs are lacking. In form the bedbug is 

 much flattened, obovate, and in color is rust red, with the abdomen 

 more or less tinged with black. The absence of wings is a most 

 fortunate circumstance, since otherwise there would be no safety from 

 this pest, even for the most careful and thorough of housekeepers. 

 Some slight variation in length of wing pads has been observed, but 

 no individual with wings showing any considerable development has 

 ever been found. 



