622 THE GIANT EARWIG AND THE COCKROACH. 



EARWIGS. 



Taking leave of the beetles, we now proceed to a fresh order, distin- 

 guished by several simple characteristics, among which may be men- 

 tioned the soft and leathery elytra or fore wings, the wide and mem- 

 branous 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, and are represented in this country by several species of dif- 

 ferent dimensions. 



The membranous wings of the Earwig are truly beautiful. They 

 are thin and delicate to a degree, very large and rounded, and during 

 the daytime 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 di- 

 rected 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 spe- 

 cies, however, are day-flyers, and in spite of their tiny dimensions may 

 be watched without much difficulty. There are about seven or eight 

 British species, some of them being of very small size. The largest 

 British species is the Giant Earwig. It is of very rare occurrence 

 and seldom seen, as it inhabits only the seashore and never shows itself 

 until dusk. I have a fine specimen that was caught on the sands near 

 Folkestone in the month of July. 



ORTHOPTERA. 



A large and important order succeeds the Earwigs, containing some 

 of the finest, and at the same time some of the most grotesquely-formed, 

 members of the insect tribe. In this order we include the grasshoppers, 

 locusts, crickets, cockroaches, and leaf and stick insects, and its mem- 

 bers are known by the thick parchment-like upper wings, with their 

 stout veiuiugs and their overlapping tips. 



The first family of Orthoptera is the Blattidse, a group of insects 

 familiar under the title of Cockroaches. 



In these insects the body is flattened, the antennae are long and thread- 

 like, and the perfect wings are to be found only in the adult male. The 

 common Cockroach, so plentiful in our kitchens, and so well known 

 under the erroneous name of black beetle — its color being dirty red, 

 and its rank not that of a beetle— is supposed to have been brought 

 originally from India. 



The eggs of the Cockroach are not laid separately, but enclosed in a 

 hard membranous case exactly resembling an apple puff*, and contain- 

 mg about sixteen eggs. Plenty of these cases may be found under 



