282 INSECTS ABROAD. 



which are bright yellow, and project well beyond the ends of the 

 elytra, In a moderately-sized Earwig from Petropolis, the whole 

 of the thorax and elytra are yellow, and have a black stripe 

 running down the centre. This is by far the most showy of all 

 the Earwigs in point of colour, though in size it is inferior to 

 several of those which have been already described. 



As to the uses of the Earwigs, this is a problem which has 

 never been solved. We know perfectly the harm which they 

 do in civilized lands, but cannot see how that is counterbalanced 

 by any good which they do either in this or other countries. 

 They eat the petals of our best flowers, they have a wonderful 

 knack of forcing their way into the ripest peaches, plums, and 

 apricots, and lying hidden between the stone and the fruit. 

 They certainly do destroy the larvae of solitary bees, and have 

 been observed to eat several insects, their own species included ; 

 but as the solitary bees do no harm, the Earwigs do no particular 

 good by destroying them. 



