FLIES AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 33 



Silver fish, bristle tail or fish moth^ 



This peculiar, elusive insect is frequently the subject of inquiry 

 by careful housekeepers. It is rather common about houses 

 though rarely seen. It is about ^ of an inch long, silvery gray 

 and tapering. Perfect specimens have very long antennae and 

 three equally long appendages at the posterior extremity. 



Habits. This insect feeds upon nitrogenous or farinaceous mat- 

 ter such as the sizing of paper, starch, paste etc. It has even been 

 known to eat ofif the face of museum labels to such an extent as to 

 render them illegible. It thrives best in places where there is com- 

 paratively little disturbance and is therefore rarely numerous in 

 houses having few crevices and no storeroom where articles are 

 allowed to remain undisturbed for months or even years at a time. 



Control measures. This insect, if abundant, can be controlled 

 to best advantage, according to Mr Marlatt, by slipping into their 

 haunts pieces of paper liberally treated with a thick, boiled, starchy, 

 preferably nitrogenous, paste poisoned with arsenic. This 

 material should be used with extreme care and placed only where 

 there is no danger of children getting hold of the poison. Ordinarily 

 the dusting of this insect's haunts with fresh pyrethrum powder, fol- 

 lowed by thorough cleaning, is preferable to the employment of an 

 arsenical poison. Damage is most likely to occur in comparatively 

 moist places or where articles are allowed to remain undisturbed 

 for a year or more. 



Book louse 



This is a pale louselike insect^ only 1/25 of an inch long and fre- 

 quently designated as the '' death watch " because of the peculiar 

 ticking sound it makes. This latter is supposed to predict an 

 early death in the family. An allied species^ has similar habits 

 and is considered to be the true " death watch." Both of these 

 species, as well as allied forms, live upon vegetable matter and 

 occasionally may become very abundant. There have been 

 several records of this insect issuing in enormous numbers from 

 mattresses stuffed with hair, corn husks or straw. An infestation 

 of this kind can be controlled best by removing and burning the 

 infested mattress. The apartment then should be thoroughly 

 cleaned. 



^Lepisma domestica Pack. 

 'Atropos divinatoria Fabr. 

 ^Clothilla pulsatoria Linn. 



