126 FLASHLIGHTS ON NATURE 



your attention to the fact that " that horrid earwig " 

 is a far handsomer animal when you come to ex- 

 amine him at close quarters than you were inclined 

 to believe on a casual and disgusted summary in- 

 spection. Confess now that his beautifully jointed 

 legs, his translucent thighs, his toothed pincers 

 or forceps, and his feathery antennae are very 

 much finer than anything you expected from 

 him when you first saw him. 



In No. 2 Mr. Knock has given us the counter- 

 feit presentment of the earwig's wife, for com- 

 parison with the portrait of her noble lord. You 

 will observe at a glance that she differs from her 

 mate in two main particulars only. She has one 

 less segment to her tail ; and her pincers, which 

 are toothless, are almost straight and nearly 

 parallel. The air of distinction which the hus- 

 band thus gains over his wife is almost as marked 

 as that which is given to man over woman by 

 a couple of inches additional height, and by the 

 noble appendage of a pair of black moustaches. 

 Compare the two as you see them in the illus- 

 trations, and you will never again have a doubt 

 as to the real nature of masculine superiority. 

 If you are a man, indeed, I don't suppose you 

 have ever had one. I have called the earwig 

 black, but that is only true on a general survey. 

 In reality, the head is rich chocolate brown, with 

 the many-faceted compound black eyes standing 

 out against it ; the legs are amber-coloured, the 

 jointed antennas are pale amber, and the wing- 

 cases are transparent or horn-like in colour. 



