128 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



them from the garden, and even traps and other devices are 

 described for capturing and destroying them. They have a 

 rather long and somewhat flattened body, which is armed at 

 the hinder end with a pair of slender sharp-pointed blades, 

 opening and shutting horizontally like scissors, or like a pair 

 of nippers, which suggested the name of Forficula^ literally 

 little nippers, applied to them by scientific writers. Although 

 no well authenticated instances are on record of their entering 

 the human ear, yet, during the daytime, they creep into all 

 kinds of crevices for the sake of concealment, and come out 

 to feed chiefly by night. It is common with English gardeners 

 to hang up, among the flowers and fruit-trees subject to their 

 attacks, pieces of hollow reeds, lobster claws, and the like, 

 which offer enticing places of retreat for these insects on the 

 approach of daylight, and by means thereof great numbers of 

 them are obtained in the morning. The little creeping animal, 

 with numerous legs, commonly but erroneously called earwig 

 in America, is not an insect ; but of the true earwig we have 

 several species, though they are by no means common, and 

 certainly never appear in such numbers as to prove seriously 

 injurious to vegetation. Nevertheless, it seemed well to give 

 to this kind of insect a passing notice in its proper place 

 among the Orthoptera, were it only for its notoriety in other 

 countries. 



Of cockroaches (Blatta) we have also several kinds ; those 

 which are indigenous I believe are found exclusively in woods, 

 under stones and leaves, while the others, and particularly the 

 Oriental cockroach {Blatta orientalis), which is supposed to 

 have originated in Asia, whence it has spread to Europe, and 

 thence to America, and has multiplied and become established 

 in most of our maritime commercial towns, are domestic spe- 

 cies, and are found in houses, under kitchen hearths, about 

 ovens, and in dark and warm closets, whence they issue at 

 night, and prowl about in search of food. But, as these dis- 

 gusting and ill-smelling insects confine themselves to our 

 dwellings, and do not visit our gardens and fields, they will 

 require no further remarks than the mention of a method 

 which has sometimes been found useful in destroying them. 



