FORFICULODEA. 13 



is possible that they may, however, use their wings 

 more frequently than is suspected. 



No doubt the term " Earwig ' took its rise from the 



o 



fact that the creature sometimes makes use of the 

 human ear for the sake of concealment. We should 

 scarcely expect that this would often occur, though 

 there are certainly authentic instances of its having 

 done so.* This origin of the name has been objected 

 to, and it has been suo-o-ested that the word is a cor- 



o O 



ruption of " ear-wing," the hind-wings of the insect 

 being, as a matter of fact, remarkably ear-like. It is 

 not at all likely, however, that the popular name of an 

 insect should be derived from a part of the creature 

 which by an ordinary person is never seen. Further, 

 throughout Europe it is the e&i'-trorm, -piercer, -t>or>*r< 

 or something of that kind (ci<l<' Westwood, 'Mod. Class. 

 Ins.'). In origin the svllable " wio- ' is connected with 



o / 



the idea of running, in which mode of progression, as 

 we have said before, the earwig can hold its own with 

 most insects. Though an earwig may occasionally 

 conceal itself in an ear, we are not to believe that it 

 can "pass into the brain, and grow to the size of a 

 hen's eo-o-, setting up brain fever, from which the 



O O * CJ 1 



patient dies.' : AVe are told, on the other hand, that 

 these insects were formerly o-iven as a medicine to 



*J O 



strengthen the nerves ! t 



Burr % divides the Forficulodea into eight families : 



1. AKIXENIID.K. 5. APACHYIDJE. 



2. HEMIMEKIDJ:. 6. LABIID.E. 



3. PYGIDICRANIDJE. 7. CHKLISOCHIDJ:. 



4. LABIDDRID.E. <s. FoRFicoLmsj. 

 Seven species breed in Britain, and these are dis- 

 tributed amono-st three families only- -LabiduridaB, 



o , . . 



Labiidse, and ForficulidaB. The Labiidae contain Labia. 

 minor and Prolab'm arachidis (both in sub-family 



* Kirby, ' Text-book of Entomology/ p. 82. It might be well to state 

 that an earwig, or any other insect, may be dislodged by pouring oil into 

 the ear. 



t Webster, -'Proc. Lane, and Ches. Ent. Soc.' 1903. 



M. Burr,. 'Genera Insectoruni,' Fascicule 122, Dermaptera, 19] 1. 



