IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 163 
ground they keep it mellow and soft, and thus suitable for the 
growth of plants. 
But there's another funny thing I want to tell you about this 
little mother with a bad name. At the end of her tail she has a 
sort of a pair of forceps. You'd never guess what she uses them 
for ; but one of those inquisitive naturalists, who spend their lives 
studying those little creatures, found out by watching, just what 
Madam Ear-wig does with her forceps. 
You must know that her wings, which are so beautiful, are 
packed away in a very small place. They are first folded like a 
shut-up fan, and then doubled twice the other way. Now, when 
the droll little mother wants to fold her wings and pack them safely 
away, she just turns her tail up over her back, and with the forceps, 
as if they were hands, she folds and tucks away the wings. 
It's almost too funny to believe; but the Rev. Mr. Wood 
declares that he has seen her do it. 
