1914] Glaser—Forficula Auricularia in Rhode Island 157 
sandy post oak woods at Montopolis, near Austin, Texas. I have 
taken the species also at Milano in the same state. 
A study of comanche, subnitidus, californicus and its subspecies 
maricopa shows that these forms have essentially the same habits 
and are all very closely and peculiarly related. Without its spines 
the worker swbnitidus would be indistinguishable from the worker 
californicus, and the same relation obtains between comanche and 
maricopa. As it seems evident that the spined species of Pogono- 
myrmex must be more primitive that the spineless forms, it is not 
improbable that swbnitidus is really the parent species of californi- 
cus and comanche the parent species of maricopa. If further study 
supports this conclusion, maricopa will have to be regarded as 
distinct species. 
FORFICULA AURICULARIA IN RHODE ISLAND. 
By R. W. GuaseEr, 
Bussey Institution, Harvard University. 
Since all previous records of Forficula auricularia in America 
are very dubious, a report of the occurrence of large numbers of 
this species of earwig in Newport, Rhode Island, seems advisable. 
While in Newport in July, 1914, I heard that the estate of Mr. 
T. Suppern Tailer was infested with earwigs and that they were 
making themselves extremely disagreeable by entering the house 
and crawling over people at night. I went to the estate and found 
literally hundreds of what I then supposed to be the European 
earwig. Mr. James A. G. Rehn of the academy of natural sciences 
in Philadelphia and Mr. A. P. Morse of Wellesley, Mass., have 
since kindly identified the species as FP’. awricularia Linn. 
I found the insects hiding in all possible places during the day. 
They were abundant in the cracks of stone walls, under porches 
and behind vines. They were also taken from the inside of flowers 
in large numbers. 
According to Mr. Tailer and his gardener, the earwigs were first 
noticed in 1912. In 1913 they increased to such an extent that 
suppression work by spraying was begun and at the time of writing 
this note (July, 1914), they seemed to have passed beyond control 
and have spread to adjoining estates. No one seems to be able 
satus 
