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- 



i 



