ROACHES AND OTHER ANCIENT INSECTS
Blattella germanica, which is now our most common American roach, received the nickname of "Croton bug" in New York, because somehow he seemed to spread with the introduction of the Croton Valley water system, and this appelation has stuck to him in many parts of the country.
The Croton bug, or German roach (Fig. 49 A), is the smallest of the "domestic" varieties of roaches. It is that rather slender, pale-brown species, about five-eighths of an inch in length, with the two dark spots on the front shield of its body. This roach is the principal pest of the kitchen in the eastern part of the United States, and prob-
Fig. 50. Egg cases of five species of roaches. (Twice natural size)
A, egg case of the Australian roach (fig. 49 C). B, that of the American roach (fig. 49 B); the other three are made by out-of-door species
ably the best support of the trade in roach powders. Several other larger species are fortunately less numerous, but still familiar enough. Among these are one called the American roach (Fig. 49 B), a second known as the Australian roach (C), and a third as the Oriental roach (D, E). These four species of cockroaches are all great travelers and recognize no ties of nationality. They are equally at home on land and at sea, and, as uninvited
[79]
