BEHAVIOR OF THE ANT-LION. 



289 



LOCOMOTION. 



The forms of locomotion used in excavating pits and in re- 

 moving obstacles therefrom have been described in the section 

 on "The Pit" and will not be repeated here. 



When placed on loose dry soil, the ant-lion may letisimulate. 

 As soon as it begins to move, it burrows backward into the ground. 

 If an ant-lion is placed in an open rectangular pasteboard box, it 

 backs along, sometimes in a straight line and sometimes in a 

 curved line, until it comes in contact with one of the sides. It 

 then backs along that side until it comes to a corner, turning the 

 corner it continues along to the next corner. It may continue 

 thus for a long time, or it may vary it by creeping backwards up 





Fig. 7 



FIG. 7. Cocoon of ant-lion, with chrysalis partly emerged. This cocoon is 

 from a form that was raised in shifted coal ashes. 



one of the angles until it reaches the top of the box and then pass 

 downward to the ground. After it has once reached the side of 

 the box, no matter how long it remains within the box, it almost 

 never moves out into the open. These two simple experiments 

 indicate that this insect is positively thigmotactic. With this 

 statement must be coupled the reservation that, at times, the 

 creature moves about with all of the upper portion of the body 



