Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-07-31
4 Good Lllnc Mother with Bad Name.


bf OLIVE fHORNE
There is a very nice, careful little mother
not an inch long. who never does bit Of
harm Oh the contrary, she is quite useful
10 US aod perfectly devoted to her babies
Yet shocking stories are told about her, and
its all on account Of her name.
You see, she has very droll pair Of wings
She seldom opens them but when she does
they look something ike human ear. SO
the poor creature got the name Of Ear-wig or
hT-wing. Whcreupou some people, who
thought they knew everything, said she was
so named because she had fancy for getting
into peoples ears Aud then every ignorant
aud stupid nurso.girl repeated it to the chill
dren. SO it went on spreading, like other
scandal-and nothing ia the world can spread
nse scandal till everybody got to be dread.
fully afraid Of the Innocent little creature,
and nobody dared lie down on the grass for
fear prowling Bar.wig should take up her
quarters in his car. So her reputation got
thoroughly established as an cvil-disposcd
mother, aud even the wise men who make the
books fell into the error
Don't you believe word of it Nobody
would be more frightened than she to fad
herself 10 such place. Aud if she did hap
pen to stray in, she couldn't possibly get fur
ther than the drum OF the ear, (you know
you have little drum in your car, don't you p
But She mas altogether different ideas about
nursery for her babies. She much prefers
a damp wall or a wall between bricks. This
She prepares very carefully and nicely, by
smoothing the stone or brick, making nice
bed Of brick-du,t and altogether a very cosy
und comfortable house, about az big as a
ladys watch When the house is fixed TO
her taste she lays her eggs
But her work isn't yet done in fact, its
hardly begun Every day. Gr three or four
weeks, she turns those e gs-I don't know
how many dozen Of them. At the end of
this time they hatch, and out come whole
tribe Of babies
Not hit like their mother, 10 her Der
dress Of brown aud lead color but tiny
atoms Of creatures. ia white, like other babies
They're a lively ainily, though and every
day Mamma Eir.wis takes the whole troop
olt on ioraging expedition. Selecting some
deep flower, where there is plenty Of pollen
for the babies to cat. she leads the whole fam
lily into it, aud there they speud the day.
Tnnk Of going pie.nioug aud spending
the day in the heart Of lily cup.
Well, when it grows dark the whole family
return to the home; and thus they live for
Eve or six weeks. All this time the babies
have been growing, aud every now and then
throwing of their old skin aud coming out in
a bran.uew suit, somewhat larger than the
last. That's the way insects have Of chang
ing their dress perhaps you know.
Now comes the sad part Of my story, for
am sorry to say it winds up with a tragedy
As these ungratelul babies come to their
full size, fJrgetul Of tho constant care Of their
good little mother, unmindlul Of the cozy
home aud the nice pic MICS they have enjoyed
with her, these wretched little cannbals ac-
tually eat Up their olon mother
OF course, that breaks up the family
The unnatural children throw of their last
suit, come out with gorgeous wings and 1y
off the first thing, to seek their own fortunes.
Besides the SANDER about the ear, there's
another naughty thing said Of this unfortunate
mother. She does ut must be admitted) cat
holes in melon riuds and the leaves of plants
Bat When you know more about it you'll be
ready to thank her, instead of abusing her.
Every bite she tas es is to eat the eggs Of
some other insect, which are her special food
/, she did not cat those eggs, they would
Patch, and not. only the rinds, but every biz
" the melon be eaten. She must be allowed
to be very useful.
In fact, the more you know Of these wond-
erful little bodies the more you will fud that
every one has its use. Some are made to .
prevent too great growth Of vegetation, 9TH
ers to thin out the ranks Of their fellow in.
sects.
Those busy little worms who dig in the
ground, and whom we call nuisances, are, in
TRUTH doing most important and useful
work BY their incessant wriggIing aud twist
ing around in the ground they keep 1t mellow
and soft, and thus suitable for the growth Of
plants.
But there's another funny thing | want to
tell you about this little mother with the bad
name At the end of her tail she has sort
Of pair Of forceps. You'd never guess
what she uses them for ; but one of those in-
quisitiye naturaIists, who spend their lives
studying those little creatures, found out, by
watching, Just what Madame Ear-wig does
with her foreeps
You must know that her wings, which are
so beautiful, aro packed away in very small
place They are first folded like a shut up
fan, aud then doubled twice tho other way
Now, when the droll little mother wants to
fold her wings aud pack them safely away.
she Just turns her tail up over her back, aud
with the f0roep., as if they were hands, She
folds and tucks away the wings
It's almost too funny TO believe hut the