64 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



it again, and I secured it in a pill box. On my arrival at home I provided 

 a jar with a few inches of dry sand in the bottom, and placed the larva in 

 it ; it at once buried itself, and though I waited several hours, hoping to 

 witness the commencement of its pitfall, there was no movement in that 

 direction ; there was now and then a slight stir of the sand, and once or 

 twice the head was thrust above the surface, but quickly withdrawn at the 

 slightest movement on my part. I grew tired of watching and retired for 

 the night, returning in the morning to find a completed pit. It was in the 

 form of an inverted cone, about one and one-half inches in diameter and 

 three-quarters deep, and as smooth as sand could be made. At the first 

 glance I discovered no sign of the builder, but a closer inspection revealed 

 a pair of mandibles and at the base of them a pair of eyes ; the bearer 

 of these was snugly ensconced in the sand. The mandibles were 

 stretched to their widest capacity and resting against opposite sides of the 

 pit, so harmonizing in color with the sand as not to be readily noticed. 

 In this position the larva would rest for hours unless disturbed, when it 

 would withdraw from sight, but soon reappear and resume its watch. 



My great interest, however, was in its method of taking its prey, and 

 to witness this operation I provided a dozen or more ants of a small 

 species, dropping them all into the pit at once; the larva with one sweep 

 of its jaws secured three or four, and in a very short time killed or dis- 

 abled them, but it soon dropped them and proceeded to kill most of the 

 others before commencing its repast. Owing to their sluggish habit but 

 very few succeeded in escaping. I was curious to see if the larva would 

 attack as readily larger and more savage species, and the next day secured 

 the largest specimens I could find of the Red Ant, Formica sanguined ? — 

 noted for its courage and ferocity. I dropped the largest of these on 

 the sand in the jar, leaving it to find its way into the pit, which it soon 

 did, hesitating a moment at the brink and then walking to the bottom. 

 At the instant that the ant came within reach the larva closed its jaws 

 upon one of its legs, and for a few moments I witnessed quite an exciting 

 contest, the ant turning and twisting to find its adversary and biting 

 savagely at everything within its reach, the larva endeavoring to draw far 

 back into the sand, thereby protecting itself and pressing the ant so close 

 to the surface as to allow but very little room for movement. The ant 

 finally freed itself from the jaws of the larva, but did not at once succeed 

 in leaving the pit ; the larva instantly almost entirely uncovered itself and 

 slashed right and left with its mandibles, seeming to be in a perfect fury at 



