THOSE HORRID EARWIGS 



129 



pair or flying wings. But earwigs are in many 

 ways a less advanced and perfect group than the 

 beetle tribe ; as we shall see hereafter, they are 

 a rather primitive tribe, only half way up in the 

 scale of development towards the highest insects. 

 And among their imperfections one may mention 



NO> 4. BEGINNING TO CLOSE. 



this that the hind wings are only partially covered 

 by the front pair or wing-cases. 



When I say so, however, I do not mean to 

 be unkind to the earwig, who, within his own 

 limitations (as we say of minor poets), must be 

 looked upon as one of the most marvellous and 

 complicated of animals. And I propose to illus- 



