736 STUDIES IN AUSTRALIAN NEUROPTERA, i., 



makes a number of pits in my garden every year, and has thus 

 provided both easily accessible and sufficiently abundant material 

 for all purposes. 



About a dozen larvae were collected in October, 1914. These 

 were placed on a smooth layer of sand in a large flat tin about 

 three inches deep. They at once burrowed, and very soon had 

 completed their characteristic conical pits. Each pit was regu- 

 larly supplied with an ant once or twice a day, and a careful 

 watch kept for any instance of refusal to eat on the part of the 

 larva. For some weeks, the ant-lions fed regularly on all that 

 was offered them. Then, one day, it was seen that one of the 

 larvaj had refused an ant. At next feeding-time, the sand was 

 carefully put through a sieve, and, as expected, a freshly-formed 

 spherical cocoon of sand-grains was recovered. The other larvai 

 re-formed their pits and went on feeding. A few days later, 

 another fresh cocoon was obtained, and, soon afterwards, the 

 majority of the larvse had spun their neat little homes in the 

 sand. 



These cocoons were all placed on sand in a tray covered with 

 a cage of mosquito-netting. The first cocoon was cut open six 

 days after its recovery from the sand. It was found that the 

 enclosed larva had not yet pupated. The next was opened after 

 seven days, with the same result. A third, eight days old, con- 

 tained an evidently freshly formed pupa. Finally, the pupa 

 selected for dissection was one taken from a cocoon thirteen days 

 old, in which the wing-sheaths appeared to be eminently suitable 

 for the object in view. This pupa was very active, and was 

 killed with chloroform. The wing-sheaths were then quickly 

 dissected off under water, and floated on to a slide. A light 

 cover-slip was then let down gently upon them, and they were 

 transferred at once to Reichert's photomicrographic apparatus, 

 where three satisfactory photographs were obtained. These are 

 reproduced in Plate Iviii., and are made the basis of a comparative 

 study with the imaginal venation. 



It will be seen that the obtaining of suitable material in the 

 right condition is not an easy matter. Comstock and Needham, 



