EARWIGS. 41 . 



tiomen quite uncovered ; the strano;ely folded hind 

 wings which are rarely seen, and the pincers or 

 callipers (Plate 7, F'l^. 6) at the end of the body. 



A large reddish brown type (Labidura truncata) is 

 well known. It measures about i inch in length, 

 and like most earwigs, may be found in damp 

 places, such as under stones and logs. 



Parts of Body. — The head is round, with one pair 

 of compound eyes, 2 long antennae, and one pair of 

 maxillae (mouth structures) extending- in front of 

 the head. The mouth is typical* of Orthopterous 

 insects. 



Legs. — The three pairs of legs are uniform in size. 

 The front wings look like tiny oblong pads placed 

 over the back r)f the thorax (Plate 7, Fig. 6 a.), un- 

 der these pads a pair of flimsy complex hind wings 

 is folded, first fan-wise, and then doubled back. 

 No other insect has such complexly folded wings. 

 It is seldom that these wings are seen, as they seem 

 to be used but rarely for flight. It is even a 



difficult matter to try to pull them out from their 

 resting place with a needle. 



The abdomen is generally reddish brown in 

 color, but shaded to a yellow at the sides. The 

 terminal segments are barred with reddish black. 

 There are 10 segments in the male and 8 in the 

 female. 



The pincers or callipers are teethed on the inner 

 edge, and meet at the end. These structures are 

 harmless, and are often carried turned back over 

 the body. They are not known to be used in at- 

 tacking enemies. They may be of use to the insect 



