28 THE ENTOMOTiOGIST's RECORD. 



present, within doors, but pairing was observed only a day or two after 

 they were established, so that there seems no reason to suppose that 

 pairing was induced earlier than usual owing to a higher indoor 

 temperature. 



My bred specimens were kept a long time, but up to October no 

 pairings occurred amongst them. 



Dates are not perhaps of much value in regard to insects kept 

 indoors, but I give some for what they are worth, e.g., second nest, 

 eggs laid April 21st, hatched May 10th. The third instar, mother 

 died June 2nd. A census of my store of earwigs for the winter shows 

 that I have 12 (? s and 36 2 s. They appear to live together very 

 amicably, i.e., they crowd toggther, but I have not only no deaths 

 amongst them, but no evidence of their injuring each other. 



The discrepancy in the numbers of the sexes may, or may not, 

 show that there are more females than males normally, they were 

 bagged without selection, just as they came. 



The pairings amongst these specimens were observed when first the 

 jars were looked into, at about 7.30 a.m. The disturbance, generally 

 due to trying to get them in a better light, led to the insects, which 

 were often well distributed about their domain, at once making off to 

 get under cover and hide themselves, so that there were no doubt many 

 more pairings than those actually seen. I noted — 



October 26th. — 7.30 a.m., saw a pair of earwigs in cop., also two 

 other pairs in which the males were apparently approaching the females. 

 The females received their attentions very passively. The males bent 

 their bodies so as to bring their forceps against the female, and in one 

 case the male forceps had the female abdomen near its last segment 

 between its blades, but not apparently holding it in any way, but 

 rather gently stroking it. This observation was rapidly made as the 

 insects soon made for cover. 



October 27th. — This morning (7.30) there are two pairs in cojj., in 

 both cases the attitude is the same. They are end to end, but each on 

 what may be called opposite surfaces, so that if the dorsum of one be 

 called upwards that of the other is downwards, and the forceps of each 

 are against the ventral surface of the other. 



October 28th, 7.50 a.m. — A pair seen in cop. in same attitude. 

 These earwigs have been several weeks in captivity (jar I.), some 

 that were taken only a few days ago (jar II,) have not been seen 

 to pair. None have been seen paired after 8.30 a.m., by this time 

 daylight drives them to shelter, where they probably do not pair, but 

 if they do could not be seen without disturbance. 



October 29th.— A pair this morning separated at once when ex- 

 posed to full daylight. 



November 2nd. — A very mild, calm, damp morning, four pairs seen 

 in jar 1. They were in various attitudes, essentially that already 

 described, but the necessities of foothold led to the male having a foot- 

 hold under the female with the abdomen bent back, or to a foothold 

 on the same surface, but with the abdomen twisted to bring it into the 

 normal alignment. 



One pair (the first seen) in jar 2 : — 



November 4th, 3 pairs seen in 1st jar. 

 ,, 5th, 1 ,, ,, 1st ,, 



2 „ „ 2nd ., 



