186 <mii»:R NrtRopTKRA. 



mi>.r., the liirvir arr trrrrttrlnl, ninl tlu- |««ri-nt liiM-cts M-Uct {«r Uirlr linl>it«(ions tlir ] ' 

 ikrllii-st miiovi-il iV'tn untrr, llu- ilri<i>t Miiui Ixrliig tiicmil) luotcrlal ituitrtl lu tluir i 

 and niutic <*r lifr, <>r a(lii|>ti'il to llitir rvvnlial waiitjt. 



The ■nt-lioti, which 1» Uir rouituoii uniuiMif the liiiwrt aUjiit to U- di-srriU-d.ls a ^I>i(l(-r- 

 Imikiiig aiiliiittl, ha\liiR a thick, »hurt, ami fbil nlNloutcu,«ml narruw and rlongatrd frtml, 

 which i<t tcniilnittcHl >>) tWD long or cXM-rt mnodililcit, !itn)nKly ttMiihi-d u]>on thi-lr Inside 

 vdgra, and also iH-rfonile<l, mi that the InM-ct iiiiiy mick tht- juiws fn>ni its virtim» ( See 

 riato xxxili, flg. 2 : larva). Thr nian«lilihii liavi- thr«f litlh i-ach, and a mw of fiHT 

 hriJtthit Udow them, proluddy lUM-d partly for Mipportini; th«lr |>n-y, when i-ngagc<l in the 

 act of MK-tioii. Thi> inandil>h*!> arc ciirvitl, uiui as slmrp a<> a iic«-dlr ; and in thi« rt-»|Mct arr 

 wrll adai)t(><l to the «>irice Ihi-y art> dt.iigntd lo fullil, the piercing or trau-flxing the ant, 

 which seeiu.H to constitute their favorite ftuxl. The Ihrev teeth are ^U-nd<■r, and but slightly 

 tiiickcnetl ut the |K>int of junction with the jaw. The Ixnly lit clothed with a few briMle- 

 like hair), but in other re5itocts it may Im- said toU* naketl. liut what isquit** ix-culiarand 

 inten-sting in the construction and habits of our s|><-cie<i of ant-lion, is the |M«ition and 

 »lnirture I'f its Uyi : they only )K>rmit it ti> move with its al*d<.>nien in front, or, in other 

 words, it is obliged to walk barkwnrds. 



To obtain a supply of fiMnl, the larva forms a conical depression in drj- snnd under a 

 shelving n«ck, where the surface will nniain undisturUd ; the depre-.sion Uinp over half 

 an Inch in depth. At the lM>ttoni, the owner places its«-lf conceale<l in the sjiml, with only 

 Its mandibles standing a little aNive the ajH'X of the depression. Now as sheltere J places of 

 this kind, which the nnt-lion s<-lects, are also excellent highways for all small animals to 

 travel, and es|HcialIy suited to the habits of the ant, if the ant is not cautious in his jias- 

 nage thrfitigh these dry and shelving grounds, it will pMbably full info some one of these 

 sand-traps : this happening, there is little eliance of its escajiing fn>m the jaws of the lion, 

 which are always ojx-n ami na«ly to s«'ize the unfortunate traveller. If, however, the ant 

 dix'S at first escajM- the clutches of the lion, and attempts to chunU-r up the side of the 

 pit, it is stire to Ik* overwhelmed with a shower of sand cjist. up by it-s cunning foe, and 

 most certainly pn-cipitaled again to the lx)ttom. 



Notw itstaiiding this lion is furnished with strong mandibles, they are not for the purpose 

 of chewing or biting its foo<l, but are so constructed as to lu>hl its prey securtdy, and to 

 extract its fluids by suction. When this is ilnlshfd, the lion tosses the empty ^kin fn'm its 

 pitfall, by means of its long mandibles and the free and extended motion of the head in 

 its thorax. 



Like other larvtr, the larva of the ant-lion changes its skin. When aU-ut to undergo its 

 transformation, it glues together a i>ortion of sand by mixing it with a kind of mucilagi 

 nons and fibrous or silky secretion, which it forms into a |>erfectly n>und liall having a 

 tulHcient consistency to liear handling freely. At the time of the final change, which 

 occurs aliout twenty days after the l>all is rolled, the pupa pierces a round hole in the side 



