THOSE HORRID EARWIGS 147 



the case with organs of the senses ; and I believe 

 myself that, by their means, all insects of the same 

 species are able to communicate more or less with 

 one another by established signals. Perhaps the 

 antennae emit peculiar perfumes, which are recog- 

 nised in turn by those of the friend or mate ; per- 

 haps it is by touches and strokes that the insects 

 transmit their ideas to one another. But that they 

 do transmit ideas, nobody who has watched them 

 closely ever doubts for a moment, and many 

 naturalists even use the word " talking " of the 

 parleys which ants and other insects carry on with 

 their feelers. 



It may be thought that an earwig's life, like a 

 policeman's, " is not a happy one." This I hold 

 to be an error. The earwig loves damp and dark- 

 ness, it is true, but he flies at night in the beautiful 

 twilight or by the soft rays of the moon, while his 

 days are solaced by the companionship of his mate 

 and his chosen comrades, for they are gregarious 

 creatures. The mother tends her young with the 

 assiduity of a hen sitting on her chickens, and food 

 being abundant and cheap, life runs, as a rule, 

 fairly smoothly with the earwig. 



