The Earwig 
17 
at times, and have been even known to 
eat their own species. There is every 
probability that they make away with 
certain insects which would, if allowed to 
become too plentiful, be a pest. There 
are many insects, of which the wasp is a 
notable instance, which in the early part of 
its existence is carnivorous in its tastes, 
while, later, fruits of all kinds are preferred. 
The Egg. — The eggs of the insect may 
often be seen in the early warm days of 
springtime — sometimes under a loose stone, 
sometimes under an earth clod. These 
eggs, few in number, are, in proportion to 
the size of the insect, fairly large, and have 
been compared to small mustard seeds. 
The female earwig sits across them, so 
that she may thoroughly protect them, 
and unlike the majority of insects, which 
having deposited their eggs leave them to 
take care of themselves, she is perpetually 
on the alert for any marauder that may 
come along. Woe betide him whatever he 
may be, for on one side he will have to 
deal with a formidable pair of shears in the 
form of the insect’s jaws, and on the other 
side with her hardly less formidable forceps. 
