The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-08-19

A Chapter on the Cockroaeh.

FIRST boy in natural histoTy.-stand up What Is
the scientific or Latin name for coekroaeh: Boy
-" Eielu. sir" Correctly answered next boy,
stand up. Into what division of natural history
would you place this animal. "Amphibicuss, sir /;
cause / see EN- swimming in my bowl Of tea
Third boy. stand mp. Where is their principal
habitat: Once of Raseaijqa Gazette, sir, There's
a good many on EN-, but they looks poor. cause
there's nothing to feed EN- on, nary food for the
body nor the mind" Smar, boy 60 at the head
Of the class.
In studying natural history. boys. it is one Of
the mos. interesting parts OF the study to investi-
gate the habits of The animal under consideration
The eye is generally sufficient to notice these pc
culiarities OF construction to be able to classify a
certain animal. but it requires close observation to
study The habits of an animal, in which Providence
has as in a looking glass photographed the vices
and virtues Of the highest class Of created beings.
the human race. or the extensive list Of vices or
virtues of which the human family is either a vic
tim or a p~ractiser almost every one may be
found actually demonstrated by animals by the
force of instinct, to become to us either q warning
or an example to initiate. The cockroach has pc
culiar instincts which show forth rather such bab-
its as should be- avoided and not initiated, habits
disgusting, demoralizing and vicious. And there
fore, boys, | invite you and the venerable editor Of
the Hdlcdiidn Gazette, who still feels great natural
affection for the cockroach family, TO investigate
with NE the habits of this, shall we call it. interest
ing insect.
Then in the first place the cockroach is what
might be called almost ubiquitous. You will find
him not only on terra hrma but also on the sea,
and there are few ships in which he does not sail
and often as a free passenger, from country TO
country, to introduce his race, welcome or not well
come, for all he cares. and having once taken a
footing in a country it is next to an impossibility
to get rid Of him again. Secondly the cockroach
is what is termed of habits extremely gregarious
and this leads as a consequence to habits OF filth
and vice, and filth and vice lead again to the de-
sire to prefer for places OF settlement dark and
unwholesome corners and unfrequented cupboards,
where they may revel undisturbed in their pecu-
liar enjoyments. Open a drawer or cupboard and
let the full daylight or sunshine fall into it, and
the hundreds of inhabitants are disturbed and ex-
citedly rush for dark corners and hiding places
They live not in pairs but living as they do in
close quarters and in large numbers as a conse-
quence they increase rapidly, and although the
H~acaiian Gazette places this rapid increase to their
regard for the sanctity of the family relations, a
look into any unused cupboard, taken possession
Of by a numerous colony of cockroaches, will ad-
AAohioh yOu " w P0h " y AhtO thC
moral teachings of the Ha1caiian Gazette. What is
their principal food, you ask, and how do they
make a living? Their appetite is what may be
called universal. They make their living by feed
ing upon almost anything, pork, meat boiled or
raw, prefer rice but nibble at shoes and boots,
even wood and clothing. 4
So much for their principal habits, and now,
6rst boy, stand up and answer me the question if
you know any variety or distinct species from this
the common species of the cockroach. "Yes, sir
there is the Asiatic cockroach, distinguished from
this one by the tail which grows on the wrong end
of his body, and is longer than any other tail in
natural history" Quite right. AS the hour de-
voted to lessons in natural history is nearly past,
we will not attempt to give you a history of the
first arrival of this interesting natural specimen,
but modestly leave that task to the emiaent histo-
rian of the Hauodiidn Gazette, who being so much
interested in this his kindred race, possesses of
course the most ample facilities to give as correct
and interesting a history of them as his late short
history of the smallpox. So we defer the further
consideration of the Asiatic long-iailed cockroach
to our next lesson in natural history. II.