Sprmgtails and Fishmoths 



damage the card labels in museums. They move very rapidly, 

 and make active efforts to conceal themselves. They shun the 

 light, and slip from the fingers with ease, the silvery scales coming 

 off and, the insect escapes at the ex- 

 pense of its clothing. In damag- 

 ing the cloth bindings of books, it 

 is really trying to feed upon the 

 paste with which the cloth is stuck 

 to the boards. Heavily glazed 

 paper is attractive to them, and 

 they will eat the glaze from draft- 

 ing linen. They are found com- 

 monly in old houses in rather damp 

 places, but one of our species seems 

 to prefer the vicinity of fireplaces, 

 crawling rapidly over hot bricks 

 and metal and showing most sur- 

 prising immunity from the effects 

 of high temperature. They are 

 readily destroyed by a free use of 

 pyrethrum powder. 



Nothing is known about their 

 life history. Their eggs have not 

 been described, and of the number of molts and the rapidity of 

 development we are absolutely ignorant. None of these points 

 ought to be especially difficult to ascertain. 



Ten or more species occur in the United States, and those 

 which are not found in houses are generally found in decaying 

 wood. 



Fig. 245. Lepisma saccharina. 

 (Redrawn from Marlatt.) 



383 



