5 28 COLEOPTERA, 
Lucy. Oh ! mamma, my friend the 
earwig ! the hateful creature ; it is my 
enemy, and the enemy of my dear pinks ; 
indeed I could have almost cried to see the 
flower-leaves scattered over the hed, and 
my best carnations spoiled. But, mam- 
ma, the earwig cannot belong to the 
order coleoptera, for w^here are the 
elytra ? 
Mother, It is provided with hard 
shells, or elytra, to preserve its wings. 
But if it had none, could you recollect 
any other insects that belong to this or- 
der, which have short elytra, or which 
are even unprovided with any ? 
Lucy, How foolish I am ! the glow- 
worm, that is, the female of the fire-fly, 
has neither wings nor elytra ; and the 
meloe, which you told me of yesterday, 
has very short elytra. 
Mother, You perceive, Lucy, that if 
you allowed yourself time to think, you 
would not make such blunders. Now 
look on the chimney piece, and you will 
