THE EARWIG. 387 



favorite plants and shrubs. The mother Ladybird always takes care to deposit the eggs in 

 spots where the aphides most swarm, and so secure an abundant supply of food for the future 

 offspring. 



EARWIGS. 



TAKING leave of the beetles, we now proceed to a fresh order, distinguished by several 

 simple characteristics, among which may be mentioned the soft and leathery elytra, or fore- 

 wings, the wide and membranous hind-wings, and the forceps with which the tail is armed. 

 The insects belonging to this order are popularly known by the name of Earwigs. 



Before proceeding to the description of individual species, it is necessary to remark that 

 the word Earwig is slightly incorrect, and owing to a popular notion that the insects crawl 

 into the human ear, thence into the brain, and complete their work by causing madness in the 

 minds of those who are afflicted by their presence. 



The fact is, as all must know who have the least smattering of anatomy, that the insect 

 never could gain admission to the brain by means of the ear. In the first place, the cerumen 

 which is secreted in the ear and serves to preserve the natural moisture of the tissues, is so 

 inexpressibly bitter, and so entirely opposed to the habits of the Earwig, that if one of these 

 insects should by chance happen to crawl into the ear, its first impulse would be to retreat. 

 In the second place, the drum of the ear would present an impassable obstacle, and in the 

 third place, supposing the drum to have been ruptured, and the Earwig to have passed the 

 spot where it existed, the complicated bony passages through which the auditory nerve passes 

 would be too small to admit of its passage, even if the nerves which fill the channels were 

 removed. 



In point of fact, the correct name of this insect is the Earwing, so called because its spread 

 wings have an outline somewhat resembling that of the human ear. 



The membranous wings of the Earwig are truly beautiful. They are thin and delicate to 

 a degree, very large and rounded, and during the day-time packed in the most admirable 

 manner under the little square elytra. The process of packing is very beautiful, being greatly 

 assisted by the forceps on the tail, which are directed by the creature with wonderful 

 precision, and used as deftly as if they were fingers and directed by eyes. The Earwigs 

 seldom fly except by night, and it is not very easy to see them pack up their wings. Some of 

 the smaller species, however, are day-fliers, and in spite of their tiny dimensions, may be 

 watched without much difficulty. 



Earwigs feed on vegetable matter, especially preferring the corollas of flowers. Pinks, 

 carnations, and dahlias are often damaged greatly by these insects, which sometimes occur in 

 vast quantities, and ruin the appearance of a well-tended flower-bed. Fortunately for the 

 florist, the habits of these insects are constant, and they can be destroyed in great numbers by 

 those who desire to kill them. Being intolerant of light, they avoid the sunshine by every 

 means in their power, and creep into every crevice that may hide them from the unwelcome 

 light. 



In consequence, they are fond of crawling among the thick and shadowy petals of the 

 dahlia, and are frequently found in the slender spur of the nasturtium, so that any one who is 

 about to eat one of these flowers will do well to examine the spur before he makes the attempt. 

 Knowing these habits, horticulturists catch them by hundreds by the simple plan of placing 

 lobsters' claws, bits of hollow reed, and similar objects on the tops of sticks, knowing that the 

 Earwigs will crawl into them at the dawn of day, and may be shaken out and killed when the 

 gardener goes his rounds. 



The Earwig is remarkable for a parental affection quite exceptional in the insect race, the 

 mother watching over her eggs until they are hatched, and after the young have entered the 

 world, taking as much care of them as a hen takes of her chicken. 



