i io BEETLES, GRASSHOPPERS, ETC. 



creatures. They are improperly called ' black 

 beetles,' as I already mentioned, seeing that 

 they are coloured dark brown, and are not 

 beetles. They swarm in our houses, and 

 destroy more food by their contact than they 

 consume. Their shape is admirably adapted 

 to their mode of life, fitting into cracks and 

 crannies, but it is not calculated to please the 

 eye. They were introduced into our country 

 when ships began to visit foreign lands. 

 There are several sorts already established 

 among us, and with the spread of commerce, 

 there is no reason why there should not be 

 many more. 



The Common Cockroach (Blatta orientalis), 

 Plate IX., Fig. 3, is diffused over the country 

 as far as Shetland. The male and female 

 differ in respect that the former has ample 

 wings, while the latter is practically wingless. 

 Many creatures feed upon cockroaches. I 

 remember that on one occasion a cockroach 

 had been killed and thrown out. One of those 

 long-legged phalanger spiders, resembling a 

 1 daddy long-legs,' was seized with a desire to 

 obtain possession of the body. The cockroach 

 was many times larger than the spider, but 



