The British Woodlice : Being a Monograph of the Terrestrial Isopod Crustacea Occurring in the British Islands

The construction of the breathing organs of woodlice, and the necessity which exists for these to be kept moist, restricts the habitats of the animals considerably. Woodlice are found under stones and logs, beneath the bark of dead and rotten trees, among decaying vegetable matter as well as living grass and moss in damp or wet situations. When looking for some of the common species under the bark of fallen trees it is surprising to notice that the crustaceans may be entirely absent from many trunks, while when another is examined which seems to differ very slightly, if at all, in condition or situation, they are found in swarms. There is no doubt but that the habits of woodlice would well repay the attention of naturalists, who are now recognizing that besides anatomy as such, and the classification which a knowledge of structure permits, there is the equally important consideration of the creatures as they live their own life and affect that of others. It is not our object to give a detailed account of the ecology of British woodlice, but rather to provide a basis from which it may be approached. Nevertheless a few general remarks may not come amiss. Many points in the life-history of woodlice may no doubt be learned by keeping them in captivity and there is just sufficient difficulty in doing this successfully to give an interest to the matter.

Apart from a supply of proper food, we take it that the chief object to be attained is the provision of the amount of moisture required by the particular species under examination, together with a sufficient supply of air.