Forceps of Earwigs 



305 



just killed with its forceps. So viciously did this female attack the 

 cricket that one of its large legs was torn off with the first blow. 



Various insects and small Crustacea were used in experimenting 

 with the earwigs, but the cricket was chosen as the most favorable. 



With the exception of the most pugnacious the males are very timid 

 and are the first to scamper away when disturbed. The young males are 

 especially timid and apparently stay in hiding most of the time. This 

 probably accounts for the few very young males collected. Most of the 

 older males were battle scarred and it was seldom that a specimen did 



Fig. 4. The foicepa of a male. All that was left of a victim of cannibalism. 

 Fig. 5. A male dragging a cricket which it has killed with its forceps. 

 Fig. 6. Eating the prey, a cricket, that is being hold by the forceps. 

 Fig. 7. A female eating a cricket that it has just killed. The forceps are held 

 in a characteristic position. 



not lack part of an antenna or parts of one or more legs. Mr. N. P. 

 Fry who collected the Florida earwigs said he was able to collect more 

 than three times as many females as males. The ratio of males in 

 shipment, including those killed during shipment, was about the same 

 in all species used. The fighting among the males probably reduces 

 their numbers but the difficulty in collecting them due to their being 

 more timid than females is a more reasonable answer to the question 

 of sex ratio in collection. 



Another indication that the forceps are impoitant in defense as 

 well as attack is the position in which they are held when not in use. 

 Figure 7 shows a female with the forceps in a characteristic pose. Both 



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