'JO 



INSECT LIFE. 



rove beetles in the form of the body and in the short- 

 ness of the wing- covers, but easily distinguished by 

 having a pair of forceps at the end 

 of the body (Fig. 46). The common 

 name, earwig, has reference to a 

 widely spread fancy that these in- 

 sects creep into the ears of sleeping 

 persons. 



The earwigs are rare in the north- 



. , - i^H I eastern United States, but are more 



JtJ r/IHKS ^^^^" found in the South and on the 



^ iT^^B A Pacific coast. In Europe they are 



common, and are often troublesome 



pests, feeding upon the corollas of 



flowers, fruits, and other vegetable 



substances. 



The name of the order is from 

 three Greek words : eu, well, pleko, to fold, and pteron, 

 wing. It refers to the unusual folding of the hind 

 wings. 



Order Orthoptera (Or-thop'te-ra). 

 Cockroaches^ Crickets^ Grasshoppers, and Others. 



The members of this order have four wings : the first 

 pair are thickened, and overlap when at rest ; the second 

 pair are thinner, and are folded in plaits like a fan. 

 The mouth-parts are formed for biting. The metamor- 

 phosis is incomplete. 



The name of the order is from two Greek words : 

 orthos, straight, and pteron, a wing. It refers to the 

 longitudinal folding of the hind wings. 



This order includes only six families, and as they 

 are among our most common insects we will briefly 

 refer to each of them. 



Fig. 46. — An earwig. 



