602 Notes on the Ant- Lion. 



I brought many of them to Paris, placing several together in 

 a box filled with the sand ; they however destroyed one ano- 

 ther whilst shut up in these boxes, and I only succeeded in 

 bringing three of them alive to England ; one of which al- 

 most immediately afterwards (on the 23rd July) enclosed it- 

 self in a globular cocoon of fine sand. The other two afford- 

 ed me many opportunities of observing their proceedings. — 

 They were unable to walk forwards, an anomalous circum- 

 stance not often met with in animals furnished with well-de- 

 veloped legs. It is generally backwards, working in a spiral 

 direction, that the creature moves, pushing itself backwards 

 and downwards at the same time ; the head being carried 

 horizontally, the back much arched, so that the extremity of 

 the body is forced into the sand. In this manner it proceeds 

 backwards, (to use an Hibernianism), forming little mole- 

 hills in the sand, like Rosel's tab. 17, jig. 7 ; but it does not 

 appear to me that this retrograde motion has anything to do 

 with the actual formation of the cell, since as soon as it has 

 fixed upon a spot for its retreat, it commences throwing up 

 the sand with the back of its head, jerking the sand either 

 behind its back, — 



" Ossaque post tergum, magnae j aetata parentis," — Ovid, 



or on one or the other side. It shuts its long jaws, forming 

 them into a kind of shovel, the sharp edges of which it thrusts 

 laterally into the sand on each side of the head, and thereby 

 contrives to lodge a quantity of the sand upon the head, as 

 well as the jaws. The motion is, in fact, something like that 

 of the head of a goat, especially when butting sideways in 

 play. In this manner it contrives to throw away the sand, 

 and by degrees to make a hole entirely with its head, the fore 

 legs not affording the slightest assistance in the operation. — 

 During this performance the head only is exposed, the insect 

 having previously pushed itself beneath the surface of the 

 sand, but when it has made the hole sufficiently deep, it with- 

 draws the head also, leaving only the jaws exposed, which 



are spread open in a line thus, «. r s and laid upon 



the sand so as to be scarcely visible. If alarmed, the insect 

 immediately takes a step backwards, withdrawing the jaws; 

 but when an insect falls into the hole, the jaws are instanta- 

 neously and instinctively closed, and the insect seized by the 

 legs, wing, or body, just as it may chance to fall within the 

 reach of the ant-lion's jaws. If, however, the insect be not 

 seized, but attempts to escape, no matter in what direction, 

 the ant-lion immediately begins twisting its head about, and 

 shovelling up the sand with the greatest agility, jerking it 



