FORFICULA, in natural history, the earwig, a genus of insects of the order Coleoptera. Antenna; setaceous ; feelers unequal, filiform ; shells half as long as the abdomen; wings folded up under the shells ; tail armed with a forceps. There are eighteen species enumerated by Gme lin, two of which are natives of Europe, viz. F. auricularia, and F. minor. The former flies only by night, and can scarce ly be made to expanu its wings by day. The female deposits her eggs, which are rather large, white, and oval, under stones, in any damp situation, where they may be secure from too great heat or drought. From the eggs are hatched the larvae, which are small, but possessing the general aspect of the parent animal, ex cept being of a white colour. The pa rent insect, it is said, broods over her young, as the hen over her chickens. They change their skin at certain inter vals during the earlier stages of their growth, and thus gradually acquire a darker colour, till at length the wing sheaths and wings are formed, and the animals may be considered as perfect.
The usual food of the earwig consists of decayed fruit : it will, however, if kept without food, attack and devour its own species. Gmelin seemsto agree with the vulgar notion of its creeping into the ears of such as sleep in the open air ; but Dr. Shaw regards it as an ancient, though generally received error. Others have, however, taken for granted, that such ac cidents may happen; and'observe, that when this or any other insect falls into the ear, a little oil poured in will immediately kill it, after which it may be picked out, or discharged with a syringe of warm wa ter.