434 
THE EARWIG. 
from the perfeft infeft. It is amazing in how little room the 
long wings of thefe animals are packed before they burll 
from their chryfalid Hate ; and even after they are pro- 
truded, the animal, by means of the joints and mufcles 
with which they are furniflied, folds them up under the 
elytra, that you would imagine it altogether deprived of 
thefe inftruments *. 
The life of the earwig, after it enters upon its winged 
Hate, lafts but a few days ; each fex is then conftantly 
in purfuit of the other, and that lliort exillence feems 
chiefly employed in the bufinefs of procreation : After ha- 
ving provided for pollerity, the parent animal dries up, 
and dies to all appearance confumptive f. 
* .Swammerdam, p. 1 14 , 
f Goidfmitjh, p, 358, 
