THE ANLMAL LIFE OF TllF (IKOFJ'. 405 



The Clotiies-^Motii and Otjiek JIoiskiiold J'ests. 



The clothes-moth'^" is the dread of every housewife, jiikI ;iiiy h;inidess 

 Jittk' moth th;it ventures indoors by accident or nthtM-wisc is usually con- 

 demned to instant destruction lest a single uuilty (uic should escape. Practical 

 experience has proved this to be the best rule to follow. Al an.\- i-ale. a moth 

 that seeks out the dark corners of the closet and bureau drawers and hides 

 itself away in clothing is not to he trusted, nor should such places of conceal- 

 ment to l)e long neglected for fear the adull moth thai is killed has already 

 deposited her eggs. From the eggs of the clothes-molh in due time \vill eniei-ge 

 the characteristic brownish-black voracious caterpillai- tluit feeds on the I'ahi-ic 

 and also uses the material for the consti'uction of Ihe husk-like case in whicii 

 it assumes the chrysalis state. 



Besides the clothes-moth to annoy the liousewife there is the closel^'-related 

 angoumois grain-moth '^^ that attacks stored rice. Other enemies that occur in 

 stored products and supplies in Hawaii ai-e rice-weevils,"- bean-weevils,"-' 

 red-rust tlour-beetles,"-* ham and cheese nuiggots.""' bamboo beetles,"" bone- 

 meal beetles,"^ bakery beetles," "* cigarette beetles,"'^ and the cadelle or meal- 

 worm,^-*' a small beetle that is world-wide in its distribution. 



Centipedes. 



While discussing the more familiar household insects, allusion should he 

 made to several other small creatures that, although they are not insects, 

 belong with the insects to the great branch Arlh ropoda — a group that, as we 

 have seen, has been made to include all such creatures as have bodies coini)osed 

 of a linear series of rings or segments bearing i)aired. jointed ai)pendages that 

 are articulated with an external skeleton. 



The common venomous centipede '-^ is an example of the ('liiJopoda that 

 may be recognized at a glance by the fact that each segment of the hody hears 

 a single pair of legs. The poison glands open through the claws of the first 

 pair of legs. These are bent forward so as to act with the mouth pai'ts. While 

 the bite of a centipede in Hawaii is extremely painful, as many can testily, it 

 is not dangerous, and nmy be counteracted by the use of anniioiiia. or it is said 

 that, in the absence of that chemical, relief may be had hy pounding the 

 centipede itself into a jelly-like mass and binding it onto the bite. A centipede 

 bite may be at once identified from the sting of any other ci-eature hy the fact 

 that the pincer-like legs make a i)air of punclui-es in the skin of the |)eiNou 

 "'bitten." The distance Ix'tweeii the punctures furnish a fair index as tti 

 the size of the specimen inflicting the injury. 



Centiped(^s are predaceous in habit, f(M^<ling on insects c'eiierally. hut 

 especially on cockroaches. They usually lixc in moist, dark jtlaces under 

 sticks, boards, stones, and in crevices in the hai-k of trees dui'ing the daytime. 



^^'' Tinea peUionella. '" silntrofia cereatflla. ^^- Cala)i(lra ori/za. "■' /{n/c/ii/.« ohtertii.i. 



^^* Ti-ihntiuni fi'rriuiineiini . ^^■' Piophila rnsi'i. ^^" Diuodi'rtis iiiiinitiix. ^^' Dermextes vtulurfriiius. 



^^'^ Lvphiirtit,'i-,-,s ini.sillii. ^'^> Lasioderma >ierric(inif. ^-'> Tenebrioides niauritaniciis. 



'-^ Hcolo/teiidra n'/jcns. 



