688 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVL 



found, in a marshy spot. O. sabina, on tlie other hand, found swarming in 

 February and March; was scarce in June. 



H. R. RISHWORTH. 



H. S. "Madkas," 

 btli September 1918. 



No. XL.— A NOTE ON THE FUNCTION OF THE 

 '' FORCEPS " IN FORFWDLIDAi. 



In Maxwell-Lefroy's " Indian Insect Life " on page 52 the function of the 

 forceps carried by earwigs is discussed. " The function of the forceps" says 

 the author, "is a mystery that will be cleared up only when their food habits 

 and general life are better understood. It has been suggested that the 

 forceps, though not actual weapons of defence, appear as such and give 

 the insect a more formidable appearance which protects thena against the 

 enemies that occur in their habitat, etc. 



While at Amara in 1916 during the late summer months, large numbers of 

 earwigs used to appear nightly round the tent lamps and run about the table 

 during meals. This species had a very long pair of forceps shaped rather like 

 the mandibles of the stas beetle. 



Diagrammatic and drawn from memory. 



1 sent several specimens to the Bombay Natural History Society, but have 

 not heard if they have been identified. On more than one occasion I have 

 seen them deliberately seize a small moth with the forceps and hold it firmly 

 and then run away with the victim to some sheltered place. In one instance 

 I saw the earwig bend its tail towards its mouth and start nibbing at the 

 captive moth. In no case, however, did I actually see an earwig devour the 

 whole of its prey — they are restless and active creatures and generally escaped 

 from observation in a short time. Had 1 known the interest of the subject, 

 it would have been easy to have observed their habits more closely when kept 

 in captivity. 



I called the attention of several others to the predatory habits of this 

 species of earwig and I would be very interested to know if this habit has 

 been noted by other observers in Mesopotamia or elsewhere. 



F. POWELL CONNOR, Lt.-Col., i.m.s. 

 Basra, December 1918. 



[In the introduction to the Volume ou Derma'pteia (Earwijrs) in the Fauna of 

 British India series, Mr. Malcolm Burr jrives some iuteresting- notes and extracts 

 ou the use of the forceps. It appears that the forceps are useful weapons in attack 

 and defence, but are never used ir copuhxtion. Occasionally they are used to help 

 to fold and unfold their v.-ings and lift up their elytra. In attacking- an insect an 

 earwig either waits till it passes or siddles up to it sideways till within reach 

 when it shoots out its nbdomen to the side and seizes its victim by the forceps th<in 

 transferring it to its mouth. Sometimes the prey is continued to be held in the 

 forceps while being eaten and if disturbed the earwig runs away with its victim 

 still impaled between the forceps. It is regretted that we have not been able to 

 have the earwigs identified yet. — Eds-] 



