Those Horrid Earwigs 



129 



pair or fiyin.^ \vi11j4s. But car\vi<4s arc in many 

 ways a less advanced and perfect ijroup 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 hij^hest 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 me:in 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 



