Mr. WestvFOod on the Loves of the Spiders. 327 



one that the decapod theory entertauied in the " Horae Entomologicae," 

 and that of the thorax being composed of five, and the abdomen of seven 

 segments is unfounded, and indeed Mr. M^cLeay himself in the last 

 number of this Journal is induced to explode the idea. The abdomen of 

 that insect is in fact composed of nine distinct segments, the last of w^hich 

 is furnished, in addition to the caudal pincers, with an exserted anal 

 apparatus. The figure given by M. Leon Dufour in the " Annales des 

 " Sciences Naturelles" (April, 1828,) in his admirable researches upon 

 these insects, with a view to their establishment as a distinct order, 

 unfortunately represents the abdomen with only seven segments, the two 

 basal ones being omitted, which might easily lead to a beUef that this 

 part of the body is in reality only seven jointed, the tw^o basal joints being 

 concealed beneath the wings. 



With regard to the name of the Order comprising the Earwig, it may 

 be observed that the term Dermaptera employed by Mr. Kirby, (who first 

 on the suggestion of Dr. Leach established the Order) , was proposed by 

 Retzius the translator of De Geer for the Orthoptera. The former name 

 addition to this in confusion, " n'exprimant nullement les traits caracteris- 

 " tiques de ce nouvel ordre d'insectes, nous lui preferons," says Dufour, 

 " a juste titre celle de Labidoures," which Dumeril had long ago pro- 

 posed as its Family name in allusion to the caudal pincers. 



In order however to maintain the names of all the orders in the Lin- 

 nean phrase derived from the wings, there exists no difficulty in selecting 

 that of the very peculiar manner in the folding of these of the Earwig, 

 from which circumstance the name Eupieknptera* may not be thought 

 inapplicable. 



It is to be regretted that the opinions of M.M. Audouin and MacLeay are 

 not unanimous respecting the legitimate analogy of the Collar of the 

 Hymenoptera, although botli agree as to its being a portion of the prothorax. 

 Mr. Curtis indeed still continues to describe it as the whole of that organ. 



Our lamented fellow labourer Dr. Heineken, in his pleasant manner 

 (ZoologicalJournal, Vol. V. p. 103), has attempted to cast the shadow of 

 a doubt over the correctness of my observations relative to the " Loves 

 " of the Spiders" detailed in a former number of this Journal; I have 



• Ev, bene 7r\€x<^» plico Trrtpov, ala. 



^ . v2 



