New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-08

Our Latest Crilninal---The Cockroach

characteristic which apparently sets il
ap2r; Observation has proved ;hat his
buS certainly lives i've years. and in all
probability much longer, while other in
sect existence IS usually q most ephem-
cTaI ono. The Characteristic odor arises
from dark fluid which issues almost
constantly from the roachs mouth,
staining its runNays and polutins food.
Endowed with Cunning and Reason?
This Uncauuy creeping thing against
which the danger signals have 50 tarfily
been hoistcd mas always excited interest
in those upon whom circumstances have
forced its COMPANY. Thus Il certain Nom
Der of the medical fraternity who resides
IN littSbuTc mas declared that II Is un-
qucStiOuablN endowed with reasoning
powers that are alHOSthUman. His lab
orat0rN was faVOritc haunt of cock
reaches. and he mconsciously fell INTO the
hapit of observing them. His interest
finally became aroused and took the form
of an experiment which meant lic To me
insect il il could reason and death 10
II IL f.; could not. Thy roach came OH
victorious: and tho Gallant aNpcrimcntcr
declares, moreover, that when II was first
brought face TO face with It's danger IL
prepared To act IN precisely The same
manner III NilNU II iith seen Npiil'll 'i'N
under like conditions.
In addition to this. a distinguished tns-
lish naturalist declares that these COCK
reaches are endowed with a cunning
which would he Of service to human
criminal. He tells this apecdotc OF what
was really an adventure with q cock
roach on shipboard:
A Cockrcach Anecdote.
"One in particular baf'ed all attempts
10 get rid of him. / could not discover
his retreat At night he came out ard
rested on the book shelf at the foot OF
my bed, swaying his antennse TO and fro
and watching me closely. IT | reached
out my hand from the bed to get stick
or raised my book TO throw at him. he
dropped al once on deck and was forth
with out Of harms way lie bothered me
much, because when my light was out
he had habit Of coming to sip the
was decidedly unpleasant, and he often
awoke me from a doze. He always
lodged and escaped books, etc, which
were thrown at him, displaying astonish-
ing quickness and agility. At last !
triumphed by adopting the advice of the
captain and shooting hm with a pellet
Of paper from my airgun a mode OF at
tack for which he was unprepared
Some Of Their Habits.
bur lOI tllG most ueIdllGu account OF
the habits of this miscreanf we are in
debted to an Engishmsn of some seventy
years ago. Having nothing else 10 smuse
him during long voyage 10 the East.
he studied cockroaches for q period of
three years. living during that time in
a populous colony of them. The follow
ing is some of his eXpurgated testimony.
They drink ink devour vellum and
batten on tire ordure of fowls They will
make rnaal off salt hIif will
fuse no sort Of animal matter that their
teeth can devour. Even birds skins
smeared with arsenical soap they Will
greediy devour Biscuits are their de-
light. and they waste more than they eat:
not only DO they drill them in holes, but
they smut them all over. So bad did our
bread latterly become from this cause
that absolute want alone could have
Their first act after they shed their
skins is to eat up the skins. bit
Of their fellows affords high relish, and
one is no sooner wounded and unable 10
defend himself than he is lugged away
and eaten up They attacked US.
and, during sleep ate our flesh TO the bone.
No exposed part is free from their dep
relations, but they especially like the
where they nibble the skin away 10 tie
quick. Often have ! seen our chief oni-
Ger get up in the morning with his neck
and ears clothed with gore. snip
}
into Guam. Part Of the half-dead crew
had their limbs literally eaten into holes
TO the bone. and few who lad died I'M
observed or had hccn cnawed TO death
were taken out with the flesh half de-
voured."
Such is a mild description OF the treas
ure with which our Far Eastern COM
merce has endowed us. II IS. apparently.
bug that is not really bug but an
unclean. vicious thing which Is law
unto itself That It has now even after
the lapse Of centuries. ceased to be a
mere nuisance or curiosity and been as,
signed its proper place-in the rogues
gallery. with the fy. the MOSQUITO and
the fea-is matter upon which humanity
Is 10 be congratulated And the service
is a timely one. For with the spring the
roach awakes from the partial mberna-
ton Of winter and begins activities which
will abate only with the warm weather
and which bring about nobody knows
what disaster