FORFIOULIDiE» 
49 
tatoria (1869-1871). Bolivar-—Orthopteres de St. Joseph's College (Ann. 
Soc. Ent. Fiance. 1897, p. 282; 1899, p. 761; 1901, p. 580). 
FoRFicuLiDiE.— Earwigs . 
Slender insects , the forewings short and covering the hindwings , which 
are large and radially folded ; the abdomen terminates in a 
fair of processes formed like forceps . 
Fig. 5— An earwig with expanded wings. 
The earwigs are medium-sized insects, rarely exceeding half an inch 
in length, rarely less than one quarter of an inch. The forceps at the 
extremity of the abdomen is characteristic of the family and while very 
diverse in form, is at once recognizable. There is a superficial resem¬ 
blance to the Staphylinid beetles but the latter never have forceps. The 
colours are sombre, black, brown and chestnut predominating; none 
are brightly coloured but all have the dull colour of insects that live in 
concealment or on the surface of the soil. 
The head and body are somewhat flattened, the legs of moderate 
length, adapted to running swiftly on the surface of the soil. The an¬ 
tennas are about half the length • of the body, composed of a number of 
iil 4 
