EARWIG, COCKROACH, GRASSHOPPER 183 



a very exceptional occurrence, and quite obviously can only take place when 

 an insect has fallen on one's head, and is seeking a hiding-place. The formi- 

 dable forceps or pincers at the end of the abdomen are sometimes used for 

 folding and packing up the wings after flight. Although the insect can cling 

 to your finger with these pincers, it cannot pierce the skin. It is nocturnal 

 in habit, hiding by day under stones or in crevices. It feeds generally on 

 vegetation, though it also attacks and devours other insects. The young 

 pass through an imperfect metamorphosis, and resemble their parents, ex- 

 cept that the wings are absent. The common British species, Forficula auricu- 

 laria, is too well known to need further description, but there are several species 

 characterized by their varying size and by the shape of the forceps. 



The female earwig shows remarkable maternal care ; she lays her eggs 

 in a depression in the ground, sits on them, and when hatched, attends upon 

 them like a hen with her chickens ! 



Order III. ORTHOPTERA. 



To this order belong the British Cockroaches, Grasshoppers, and Crickets, 

 and the foreign (but well-known) Locusts, Stick-insects, and Praying Mantids. 



THE COCKROACH. 



There are three true British species, found in moss, dead leaves, and low 

 vegetation ; but others which have come to us from abroad are all too well 

 known for example, the German Cockroach (Phyllodromia germanica), the 

 American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana), and the common "Black Beetle" 

 (so-called) of our kitchens (Blatta orientalis) the latter said to have been 

 introduced to this country two hundred years ago. The female, whose wings 

 are undeveloped in some species, lays sixteen eggs in a curious purse-like 

 capsule, which is placed in some secluded crevice. The young when first 

 hatched are colourless, except for their black eyes. It is not until it is three 

 years old that the adult form is assumed. Most species are nocturnal in habit, 

 feeding on most varied menus. 



GRASSHOPPERS (Locustidce). 



Several species of these insects are found in Great Britain ; all are dis- 

 tinguished by the great length and power of the hind-legs in leaping, and 

 they have remarkable organs of hearing, or " ears," as well as an apparatus 

 for producing chirping sounds. The " ear " is found at the base of the last 

 pair of legs, upon the abdomen, and the chirping sound is produced by the 

 male's wings in the following manner. On the right wing-cover (and some- 

 times the left as well) is a transparent round membrane stretched on a ring 

 a kind of drum, in fact and on the under side of the opposite wing-cover is a 



