THE society's NOTE-BOOKS. 247 



The wing, when expanded, resembles somewhat the human 

 ear, whence the name Ear-wing, shortened or corrupted into 

 Earwig, may have been derived. When closed, it is for one-third 

 of its length folded upon itself, so as to be easily packed beneath 

 the very short elytron, and it is very difficult to unfold it for 

 mounting by reason of its extreme delicacy, and the elasticity 

 of its ribs. 



The elytron-hooks of the Earwig have been mounted by 

 " the profession," and sold as gastric teeth, but their position 

 clearly shows their use. We find that they are interlocking organs, 

 situated in rows under the elytra, and are studded with numerous 

 minute spines, which hook upon a similar row on the under- 

 surface of each elytron. 



F. B. Kyngdon. 



Earwig.— I had always laughed at the idea of these insects 

 getting into the ear^ until a few years ago, when it occurred to my 

 own son. He was found crying one evening in bed with pain in 

 his ear, and his mother saw it bleeding, and something in it, 

 which she extracted with a hair-pin, and found to be a live Earwig. 

 I suppose it must have bitten the skin, as I do not think the anal 

 pincers capable of drawing blood. I have never met with any 

 other reliable instance of an Earwig in the ear. Perhaps other 

 readers may know of such, but I fancy it is not at all common for 

 insects to stop in the ear. In the above case no harm was done. 



I was once holding a large Garden-spider in my hand, when it 

 bit me close by the side of the nail, and almost drew blood, rather 

 to my surprise. 



W. LOCOCK. 



The maid-servant of a friend once had an Earwig in her ear, 

 which caused most excruciating pain. Her master quickly dis- 

 lodged it, by soaking a small piece of tobacco in brandy, and 

 squeezing a drop from it into the ear. 



Editor. 



Hilaria cilepes.— I would take the opportunity to call attention 

 to the position of the abdominal spiracles, viz., in the centre of 

 the breadth of each abdominal ring, and not between the rings as 

 opposed to their position in the thorax of insects, where they 

 occur between the segments. It may be remembered that I have 

 before made use of this, as one of my reasons for thinking that the 



