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THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



rocket ascends into the air because, when it is fired, a great 

 quantity of gas rushes out from it, and pushes against the air 

 with such force that the rocket is driven upwards. Now the 

 dragon-fly grub is a kind of -water-rocket Through the centre 

 of its body runs a narrow tube. Water is taken into this, and 

 squirted out with great force. The result is, that it pushes against 

 the surrounding water, just as the gas from the rocket pushes 

 against the surrounding air. The insect grub is thus driven 

 sharply forwards. 



THE EARWIG (Family FORFICULID^) 



The Earwig is not the dangerous insect we have imagined it 

 to be. It has no desire to enter our ears, nor are its tail-pincers 

 alarming, as their chief use is said to be the folding up of its 

 wings. 



An earwig's wings are large, but the covers under which they 

 have to be packed, when they are not being used, are small. 



So the earwig, as soon 



as it settles, turns its 



tail up over its back, 



takes hold of one of its 



wings with its pincers, 



and folds it neatly across. 



Then it folds it again, and 



again, and again, until it 



is small enough to go 



under the wing-cover. 



Having done this, it 



treats the other wing in the same manner, and packs both wings 



away in a very few seconds. 



The earwig is almost the only insect that takes any care of 

 its eggs. 



If you turn over a big stone in the early spring, you may 

 sometimes find an earwig standing closely over its pile of little 

 white eggs. It does not attempt to hatch them by the warmth 



Earwig — Adult, Pupa, and Larva 



