24 BRITISH ORTHOPTERA. 



" terrifying attitude" (PI. V, figs. 2, 3). On one 

 occasion a female in captivity was noticed scratching 

 briskly with mid and fore legs in the sand that had 

 been placed in the box with her, as if with intent to 

 burrow. Sometimes in nature a male and a female 

 are found under the same stone. 



While alive these earwigs are of a dirty cream tint, 

 with a little darker colouring in places, and therefore 

 are extremely well hidden from casual observation 

 by their resemblance to the pale yello\v sand which 

 fringes the shore. They do not, however, lay them- 

 selves open to detection, as they remain in hiding 

 during the day. On one occasion a captured specimen 

 was set free, when it ran very rapidly over the sand 

 and soon found a crevice in which to hide. 



Feeding of course takes place at night. Two 

 captured in August 1908 were kept alive under 

 observation, being fed on animal food. One ate 

 rapidly off a small portion of kipper given to it, and 

 was equally satisfied with whiting. It fed freely also 

 for a time on a fragment of rabbit. Although it 



o o 



attacked white of egg, it appeared to have no great 

 liking for it. On 27 September it was found to 

 have almost entirely consumed its smaller companion, 

 although they had been living together for some time. 

 When food was placed in the box with it no move- 

 ment was made at first, but in one or two minutes it 

 roused itself, waved its antennas, turned towards and 

 then approached the food, apparently being always 

 perfectly certain with regard to the direction in 



\vhich it lay. At the be^innino: of December it did 



" ^ ^ 



not appear to be feeding. After living in captivity 

 over four months it succumbed during the Christmas 

 season. On another occasion L. riparia was found to 

 feed readily after dark on raw beef, but in the day 

 time remained still in the darkest corner of the box, 



thus attesting the fact that it is a nocturnal insect. 



~ 



Some I kept alive in captivity (taken 27 Aug. 1904) ate 

 rice-pudding, banana, and meat, but would not touch 



