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ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY 



being from one fourth to one half an inch long. The wing-covers 

 are short and thick like those of some beetles, and at the tip of 

 the abdomen is a pair of strong, forceplike appendages. Earwigs 



FIG. 112. An earwig (Forficula taeniata). (Enlarged) 



i, male ; 2, female ; 3, wing showing fanlike folds and joints where the 



tip is folded on the base 



are rare in the United States, except in the South, and are not 

 injurious. The common name "earwig" arises from an old super- 

 stition that they crawl into the ears of sleepers and kill them. In 

 the South they often fly into lights, and in Europe and subtropical 

 countries they sometimes become injurious. 



