ORTHOPTERA 



77 



Cockroaches, or running Orthoptera (Blattidae). The Croton bug, 

 or German cockroach, is a familiar pest in all eastern cities, 

 wherever kitchens, pantries, and living rooms are not kept scru- 

 pulously clean. The name " Croton bug," as well as that of 

 "water bug," comes from the fact that it was introduced into 

 New York City about the same time as the Croton water system, 

 with which it was associated in the popular mind. Roaches not 

 only make themselves a nuisance by getting into everything, but 



FIG. 92. The oriental roach (Periplaneta oriental). (Natural size) 



<z, female ; b, male ; c, side view of female ; d, half-grown nymph. (After Marlatt, United 

 States Department of Agriculture) 



often do serious damage by gnawing the bindings of books, eating 

 off wall paper, etc. Our common native species are larger, almost 

 black, and live under stones and logs ; they are of no economic 

 importance. 



The body of a roach is flattened, due to its habit of living in 

 narrow cracks and similar out-of-the-way places, and the legs are 

 long and enable it to run with remarkable swiftness for so awkward- 

 looking an insect. About two dozen eggs are laid together in a 

 single pod-shaped mass, which is covered with a brown cement, 

 making it look much like a large bean, and is left lying in a crack 

 or quite exposed. 



