364 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



matter forming the crude wax. Dr. Macgowan 

 estimates the annual produce of Chinese wax at 

 not far short of 400,000lbs. The only considerable 

 importations into England that I am aware of, 

 were in the years 1846 and 1847, when nearly 

 three tons were imported into London. Some of 

 this wax, sold in April 1847, fetched Is. 3d. a 

 pound, a price too low, I believe, to be remunerative, 

 and no further importation, that I know of, has 

 since taken place. In China, candles are made of 

 the insect wax per se, but more commonly of a 

 mixture of it with some softer fatty substance. 

 To give to these softer candles a hard coating, 

 they are dipped into melted insect wax — often 

 colored red with alkanet root, or green with ver- 

 digris. As a medicine, the insect wax is used by 

 the Chinese both externally and internally for a 

 great variety of ailments. Grosier — besides men- 

 tioning its employment as an application to 

 wounds — states that it is sometimes swallowed to 

 the extent of an ounce at a time, as a stimulant, 

 by those about to speak in public." 



THE EARWIG. 



The Earwig, which is one of our most 

 common insects, is, to the generality of 

 people, an object of unconquerable dislike. 

 Shakspeare asks, " What's in a name ?" In 

 the case of this little insect, we have an in- 

 stance that the corruption of a name, by the 

 omission of even a single letter, is of consi- 

 derable importance. Had the name of this 

 insect continued as it originally was — namely, 

 ~E2irwing (from the resemblance which the 

 wing of this creature is supposed to bear to 

 the ear) — we should not, in all probability, 

 have been burdened with the grossly erro- 

 neous and terrifying idea, that this little 

 animal is in the habit of insinuating itself 

 into the human ear. It naturally creeps into 

 crevices and holes, and it may occasionally 

 attempt to enter the ear ; but the auditory 

 member is too well protected by its own se- 

 cretion and membrane to allow of any such 

 intrusion. 



The most remarkable facts connected with 

 the history of the earwig are, that the eggs 

 are hatched by incubation of the old earwig ; 

 and that the young earwigs, for a consider- 

 able time, are dependent upon the protection 

 of the old one, who broods over them, and 

 fosters them with all the tenderness of paren- 

 tal affection. If the young ones are dis- 

 turbed, or scattered— or if the parent is taken 

 away from them, she will, on the first oppor- 

 tunity, collect them together again, and brood 

 over them as carefully as before — allow- 

 ing them to push her about, and cautiously 

 moving one foot after another, for fear of 

 hurting them. 



These interesting circumstances have been 

 repeatedly witnessed. De Geer, a celebrated 

 French naturalist, took a female earwig, 

 which he found sitting on a heap of eggs, and 



placed her, for observation, in a box half- 

 filled with earth. The eggs he scattered in 

 various places. She however soon removed 

 them, one after another, carrying them be- 

 tween her jaws ; and in two or three days he 

 saw that she had collected them all into one 

 place, where she remained without quitting 

 them for a moment. In due time the young 

 ones were hatched — in figure precisely re- 

 sembling the parent, except in being without 

 wings ; they also differed in color, being per- 

 fectly white. He fed them, from time to 

 time, with bits of apples, and saw them 

 change their skin several times. The mother 

 died ; and her offspring, like true cannibals, 

 devoured nearly the whole of her body. 



In the larvae state, earwigs are very lively 

 little animals ; running about with great 

 agility, even from the instant they leave the 

 egg. On their metamorphosis to the perfect 

 insect, part of the skin bursts, and gives full 

 play to the wings. 



Gardeners, and especially the cultivators 

 of flowers, are loud and deep in their com- 

 plaints against those interesting little crea- 

 tures ; and certainly it must be acknowledged 

 that they claim, sans ceremonie, the right of 

 pasturage in almost every cultivated spot — 

 the only law which they seem to acknowledge 

 being the universal one of self-preservation. 

 Whether they have an original and indefeasi- 

 ble right to the food which they thus appro- 

 priate, or whether we, as lords of the soil, 

 have a right to exterminate them, are ques- 

 tions we will leave in the hands of the 

 casuists. 



The only certain method of destroying 

 earwigs is, as Kollar observes, to catch them ; 

 which is best effected by hollow tubes laid 

 here and there in orchards and flower- beds. 

 The common reed is fit for this purpose ; but 

 the hollow stem of the sunflower is even 

 more so, as the insects are eager in the pur- 

 suit of the remains of the sweet pith. They 

 are also easily caught between the folds of 

 paper, or in pieces of cloth or linen laid on 

 the ground. They creep into these traps in 

 the morning, after their nocturnal rambles ; 

 and may be easily shaken out and killed at 

 any time of the day. Some amateurs of 

 pinks and carnations place the feet of their 

 flower-stands in vessels of water. This cer- 

 tainly prevents the earwigs from creeping — 

 but not from flying upon the plants. 



THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN. 



It is starting on a false principle, to suppose 

 that a man can escape from his own deed — be it 

 good or bad. As soon as he has committed it, he 

 has given it an existence, an individuality, which 

 he can never destroy. It becomes independent of 

 him; and goes into the world, to deal its influence 

 in widening circles far beyond his view. 



