1 904 ] BENNE TT: — EAR WIGS 5 I 



wide. This was hollowed out beneath a log or some other object that rested on 

 the ground. In making this chamber she carried the earth out in her mouth-parts, 

 as already suggested, a little at a time, just as an ant would do. She never seemed 

 to use her forceps for either digging or carrying the earth. The chamber is made 

 perfectly clean ; no sticks or bits of wood or pebbles are allowed by the more 

 careful females to remain inside. Here she deposits her eggs. In the chamber of 

 one wild earwig I counted about ninety eggs, but none of those I have had in captivity 

 laid quite so many at one time, some laying only twenty-five or less. Immediately 

 after the eggs were laid the female picked them up in her mouth-parts, one at a 

 time, and wiped them all over. It looked, indeed, as if she rolled them in her 

 mouth. However that may be, when the process is over the eggs are all clean and 

 glossy. Then she places them in a neat pile and stands guard over them. Whether 

 or not it be true with the wild insect, some of the females I have kept for observa- 

 tion have, before their eggs were hatched, moved them all several times from place 

 to place, carrying them one at a time. Some of my earwigs refused to touch food 

 of any kind, so far as I could see, from the time they laid their eggs until the 

 young were hatched, while others would leave their eggs at times to get something 

 to eat. Several times the females, after caring for their, eggs a while, have eaten 

 them. I have reason to think, however, that in nearly every case the eggs had 

 already spoiled or dried up before this occurred. The females continued to guard 

 their young for a few days after they were hatched. When, however, they had 

 once left her to seek for food for themselves, they could not safely return lest she 

 should endeavor to eat them. 



One earwig which I kept in confinement deposited four fairly large batches of 

 eggs in one summer. 



Uses of the Forceps. 



The opinion has been advanced that the main use of the forceps is to furnish 

 the earwig with an instrument with which it may fold away its delicate wings. 'Riat 

 this is certainly not the only use I was assured by observing those which I kept in 

 captivity. In the first place these were wingless, — the Anisolabia maritima, Bon., 

 — yet had thoroughly developed forceps. In the second place I detected at least 

 three uses to which the forceps were put without regard to wings. These were (a) 

 for defense, (b) for offense, and (c) as feelers in mating. 



(a) That the earwigs used their forceps defensively was apparent. When 

 one was picked up, it always tried to pinch its captor ; when touched or molested 

 by another insect in any way, it always used its forceps ; in fact these forceps were 

 the chief, and seemed to be almost the only, weapon of self-defense which they 



