82 THE HOUSE FLY DISEASE CARRIER 



THE HOUSE CENTIPEDE 



There is a small, rather fragile-looking centipede, 

 known scientifically as Scutigcra forceps Raf., which 

 for many years has been a constant inhabitant of houses 

 in the Southern United States, and which seems to 

 have been gradually extending its northward range. 

 It is now occasionally found in houses as far north 

 as Albany. N. Y., and perhaps even farther. 



It seems to be peculiarly a domestic animal ; that is 

 to say, it has accommodated itself perfectly to the con- 

 ditions existing in human habitations. Its form and 

 its sudden movements have made it an object of fear, 

 especially to women and children. It is fond of damp 

 localities, and is especially abundant in bathrooms, in 

 basements, in cellars, and in ground-floor kitchens and 

 pantries, where there is more or less dampness and 

 warmth. It has been called the skein centipede, since 

 when crushed its long legs look like a mass of threads. 

 This creature, as has been shown by Marlatt (1896), 

 seems to be a normal inhabitant of the southern tier 

 of the United States, spreading north into Pennsyl- 

 vania as early as 1849 an d reaching New York and 

 Massachusetts twenty or twenty-five years later. It 

 is now common throughout New York and the New 

 England States and extends westward beyond the 

 Mississippi. 



The character of its mouth parts indicates that it is 

 predatory and carnivorous in its habits; the jaws are 

 strong, and its food consists principally of other in- 



