THE LIFE-HISTORY OF THE ANT-LION. 



Fig. 30. — Adult Ant-lion. 



Like -most other insects, the ant-lion passes through four 

 distinct stages of existence ; namely, (1) the egg ; (2) the 

 larva ; (3) the pupa or chrysalis ; and (4) the adult or imago. 

 The stage we have been discussing is that of the larva, which 

 corresponds to the caterpillar stage of the butterflies. 



It is in this larval stage that the insect grows in size. It 

 is supposed that the ant-lion lives as a larva for two years : then 

 it buries itself in the sand 

 and spins around itself a 

 silken case, called the 

 cocoon, which has many 

 particles of sand mixed 

 with its texture. Within 

 this cocoon the ant-lion 

 casts its skin and changes 

 to the quiet pupa state. It remains in this condition a few 

 weeks ; then another change takes place, and there emerges 

 from the cocoon a large four-winged insect (Fig. 30) looking 

 something like our common dragon flies, and very different 

 from the larval ant-lion by which the cocoon was made. 



In this winged condition the insect has become an adult and 

 has reached the highest stage of its existence. Its career is 

 now nearly at an end. It has little to do except to deposit 

 eggs in the sand. These eggs will hatch into another brood 

 of ant-lions which will have a similar history. 



Ant-lions are common over a large part of the United States. 

 They are most al)uiidanfe in tlic soutli, Imt occur in many of the 

 northern states. In Illinois and Florida I have found them 



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