The name "earwig" is said to be due to an idea that these creatures are fond of penetrating into the ears of persons when asleep. Hence these Insects were formerly much dreaded, owing to a fear that they might penetrate even to the brain. There does not appear to be on record any occurrence that could justify such a dread, or the belief that they enter the ears. If they do not do so, it is certainly a curious fact that a superstition of the kind we have mentioned occurs in almost every country where the common earwig is abundant; for it has, in most parts of Europe, a popular name indicating the prevalence of some such idea. It is known as _Ohren-wurm_ in German, as _perce-oreille_ in French, and so on. The expanded wing of the earwig is in shape so very like the human ear, that one is tempted to suppose this resemblance may in former ages have given rise to the notion that the earwig has some connexion with the human ear; but this explanation is rendered very improbable by the fact that the earwig is scarcely ever seen with its wings expanded, and that it is a most difficult matter to unfold them {215}artificially, so that it is very unlikely that the shape of the wings should have been observed by untutored peoples. The group Forficulidae seems to be most rich in species in warm and tropical regions; several unwinged species are met with in the mountainous districts of Europe; indeed, in some spots their individuals are extremely numerous under stones. In Britain we have a list of six species, but only two of these are to be met with; the others have probably been introduced by the agency of man, and it is doubtful whether more than one of these immigrants is actually naturalised here. One of these doubtfully native species is the fine _Labidura riparia_ (Fig. 110), which was formerly found near Bournemouth. Altogether about 400 species of earwigs are known at the present time, and as they are usually much neglected by Insect collectors, it is certain that this number will be very largely increased, so that it would be a moderate estimate to put the number of existing species at about 2000 or 3000. None of them attain a very large size, _Psalis americana_ being one of the largest and most robust of the family; a few display brilliant colours, and some exhibit a colour ornamentation of the surface; there are two or three species known that display a general resemblance to Insects of other Orders. The remarkable earwig represented in Fig. 102 (and which appears to be a nondescript form—either species or variety—closely allied to _P. marmoricauda_) was found by Baron von Hügel on the mountains of Java; the femora in this Insect have a broad face which is turned upwards instead of outwards, the legs taking a peculiar position; and it is curious that this exposed surface is ornamented with a pattern. The feature that most attracts attention on inspecting a collection of earwigs is,