28 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Fig. 12 House centipede; 

 seen from above, enlarged, 

 the head still more en- 

 larged. (After Wood) 



House centipede^ 



This light brown, rapidly running, 

 sprawly legged centipede arouses more 

 or less aversion and terror through appre- 

 hension. Like other centipedes, it is 

 capable of inflicting a somewhat poison- 

 ous bite though, as a rule^ it is only too 

 glad to escape. The house centipede has 

 become well established in the dwellings 

 of Albany, N. Y., and is presumably more 

 or less abundant in other cities of the 

 State. It is beneficial in that it is 

 known to prey upon house flies, cock- 

 roaches and other insects. Its presence 

 in a house should be welcomed, since it 

 is capable of inflicting no injury aside 

 from a somewhat poisonous bite, the latter 

 being extremely rare. 



FABRIC PESTS 

 Clothes moths 



The small, white caterpillars of these insects, frequently in a 

 cylindric, webbed case, are very different from the young of the 



Fig. 13 The common case-making clothes moth; adult; larva and larva in case; 

 enlarged. (After Riley) 



carpet beetles noticed on page 30, one of which is frequently 

 referred to as the Buffalo clothes moth. The true clothes moths 



^Scutigera forceps Raf . 



