A Mouse-catching Locust. 



Phnto by] 



The Spinning Ant. 



[Harold Hastin. 



The ant that makes use of its grub for spinning together the leaves that cover its nest 

 is shown on this page in two of its forms or castes. This winged example is a 

 female, and is depicted about twice the natural size. 



and other household scraps to leather 

 slippers ! 



In the British Museum (Natural 

 Kistor\') there is a specimen of one of 

 the largest known locusts,-^ which was 

 received from a missionary in the Congo 

 Free State a few years ago, who had taken 

 it in the act of feasting upon a mouse it 

 had caught. It was from this specimen, 

 with the same mouse held securely in its 

 jaws, that our illustrations were made. 

 A good idea of this locust's size and 

 strength may be obtained from the photo- 

 graph on page 8 and the drawing on 

 page 7, \\hich show its natural propor- 

 tions. The locust in cjuestion does not 

 confine its attention to mice ; large 

 spiders, beetles and other Insects, and 

 probably small nestling birds serve it 

 equally for food. 



This is really one of the most extra- 

 ordinar\ facts of Insect liie ii})()n record. 

 Innumerable species worry the back- 

 boned animals, including man himself, 

 with their jaws and ^ting^ : the big 

 South American spiders are >aid to c atch i>i,oio h) 

 small birds ; but, so far as we know, 

 this locust is the only Insect that 

 actualh' catches and kills a lour-looted 

 animal. 



our nati\'e great green 

 grasshopper ^ healthy for 

 months on a diet of flies 

 and moth-chrysalids ; and 

 it is within the experience 

 of man\' entomologists 

 who "sugar" tree-trunks 

 for the capture of moths 

 that the same Insect often 

 robs them of some of their 

 prey. The nearly-related 

 house cricket - is a prettv 

 general feeder, its food 

 ranejinG; from breadcrumbs 



Thk Si'inxixg Ant. 



[Horall lia.'iii. 



This example is a worker — one of the caste that hold the grubs 

 in their jaws whilst the young spin the leaf edges together. The 

 photograph gives a representation that is about four times 

 1 irsjer than nature. These workers are coloured red-brown, 

 which has caused them to be known as red ants ; but the female 

 is bright green. 



1 Lociista \-iriclissiinii. 



(irvllus (lomcsticus. 



' Cvrtacanthacris rubL>lla. 



