ENTOMOLOGY 349 



where in a house a piece of infested furniture or other woodwork 

 has been once cleared, there is no recurrence of the trouble, and I 

 have known several cases where during one season a great number 

 of the beetles issued, leaving small holes all over the frame, wain- 

 scoting or mantel, and that ended the difficulty ; no additional holes 

 appearing for the two or three years next ensuing. 



Centipedes. One species of centipede or thousand-legged worm 

 is not infrequently found in houses, generally on damp walls or in 

 cellars, but sometimes also in kitchen or pantry and not rarely in 

 bathrooms. It is yellowish-gray in general color, mottled with black- 

 ish, rather more than an inch in length, with fifteen pairs of very 

 long, slender jointed legs of which the hind pair look very much 

 like the feelers or antennae. A full-grown specimen, with legs fully 

 extended, looks on a wall as though it were at least two inches in 

 length, and as it moves over the surface rapidly, its body well ele- 

 vated, it gives a creepy sensation to most people, and there are 

 many who are actually afraid of it. If an attempt is made to catch it 

 or the creature is hit with a towel or stepped on, it seems to fall 

 apart and resolve itself into a little mass of squirming legs. It is 

 really a most fragile thing and not at all harmful. 



So far from feeding on fabrics or stored products, it is really 

 predatory and lives on flies, roaches, silver-fish and any other small 

 creatures that it can find and capture. It runs with great rapidity 

 and none of the ordinary household insects can escape from it. Like 

 most domestic species, it is nocturnal in habit, but is not infrequently 

 seen during the day, especially in cellars. 



The bite of all centipedes is poisonous, but it would be almost 

 impossible to induce this species to bite, and it will never do so 

 voluntarily. Any insect will use its jaws to save itself when in 

 danger, and under such circumstances an individual may be bitten, 

 but the results would hardly be more than from the bite of a bed-bug 

 in any case and they would vary in severity according to the gen- 

 eral susceptibility of the person bitten. 



Being really useful rather than harmful, no efforts to destroy 

 these creatures need be made; but they are not attractive and 

 should be killed when they get in the way during the day. Should 

 there be a bite, a little ammonia, or better phenol sodique, will suffice 

 to allay the irritation caused. 



Fish-Moth or Silver-Fish. The terms fish-moth and silver-fish 

 are applied to slender, silvery white creatures, rather more than one- 

 quarter of an inch in length, with long slender antenna) or feelers, 

 and three equally long and slender anal filaments. They are seen 

 mostly at night, run rapidly, and are very fragile, crushing at the 

 least touch and leaving a silvery powder on the finger. This powder 

 consists of veritable scales when examined under the microscope ami 

 gives a sort of warrant for the popular name silver-fish. They run 

 very quickly when disturbed, with a darting motion, and they slip 

 into a crack or crevice at the least alarm. Some of them are most 

 frequently seen in damp places, in basement kitdicns or in closets 

 or pantries, and these are somewhat worm-like, smooth, evenly 



