206 ORTHOPTERA 



the metanotum (the part of the body that in the winged forms 

 bears the wings, and which is marked c in our diagrams, Fig. 

 106), so that the tegmina are to all appearance less rudimentary 

 (or vestigial) than the wings. The metanotum forms a sort of 

 flap, called by Fischer l " involucrurn alarum " ; lie considered 

 the part immediately behind this to be the metanotum ; this 

 piece is, however, no doubt really part of the abdomen (d in our 

 Figure). This is apparently the view taken by Brunner. 2 The 

 structure of these parts is important as bearing on the subject 

 of the nature and origin of Insects' wings, a question to which 

 no satisfactory answer has yet been given. The appearances 

 we have remarked on are to some extent similar to the con- 

 ditions existing in the immature state of the organs of flight in 

 the common earwig (see Fig. 112, p. 212), but whether the 

 varieties presented by the wingless forms have parallels in the 

 immature conditions of the various winged forms is quite 

 uncertain, the life-histories of earwigs being almost unknown. 



The developed wings of earwigs are worthy of attention, 

 both as regards their actual structure and the manner in which 



they are folded up in repose. When 

 expanded they have a shape curiously 

 suggestive of the human ear. The chief 

 parts of the wing, as shown in Fig. 107, 

 A, are a, b, two portions of the horny 

 piece that forms the scale which covers 

 the more delicate parts of the wing 

 when it is folded, and which, according 



to Brunner, represents the radial and 

 FIG. 107. Wing of Forficula , ' ,, ,, . . . ,.. , 



auricuiaria. A, Wing ex- ulnar fields of the wings of Acridndae 

 ponded, explanation in text ; and Locustidae (see Fig. 167); c is 



B, wing folded and packed. . x . / 



the small apical field limited below 



by the vena dividens; d is the vena plicata which runs 

 along the under side of the scale as far as the apical field, 

 where it gives off the axillary nerves ; e is a vena spuria, or 

 adventitious vein such as exists in many other Orthoptera 

 with delicate wings. On the front part of the scale, a, and 

 on a different plane so that it is not shown in our figure, 

 there is a very delicate small band which is supposed to repre- 



, l OrtJioptera Europaea, 1853, pi. vi. f. 4, p. 434. 



2 Morph. Bedeut. Seg. Orthopt. 1876, p. 14 ; and Prod. Orthopt. Europ. 1882, p. 3. 



