Ant-Lions and Ant-Lion Flies. 



109 



though often checked by the observations of numerous present-day naturalists, 

 practically stands untouched. The verification is the easier, because the ant-lion 

 if given a good depth of fine sand will perform his excavating task as readih' in 

 confinement as if he were at large. 



The egg from which he emerged was laid m the neighbourhood of loose sand, 

 and he issued witli inherited knowledge of how to secure his meals. Looking out 

 for a spot where the sand is liable to be frequently wetted by rain, and in the shelter 

 of a tree or rock, he sets about sinking a pitfall. His plump, oval hind-bod}' is 

 broad, and his large head somewhat flattened ; and the whole of him is covered 

 with short, stiff bristles. The mouth is closed by compression and never opens ; 

 but the jaws are developed into a pair of long, curved nippers witli toothed inner 

 edges. Down the centre of each on the underside runs a groove, and another of 

 the mouth-parts is adapted to fit into this, and so convert it into a tube com- 

 municating with the otherwise closed mouth. Its victims are impaled by the 

 sharp points of these mandibles and their juices are sucked through the tubes. 



The ant-lion's first step towards ensuring a succession of meals, after having 

 selected a suitable spot, is to strike out a circle which is to indicate the circumference 

 of its projected ])itfall. It does this b\- walking backwards and using its hind-body 

 as a ploughshare. Then it proceeds to throw outside this circle all the sand con- 

 tained within it, and does this by shovelling, 

 using its head as the shovel. By a special pro- 

 vision at the junctions of head, fore-body, and 

 hind-body, the ant-lion is able to jerk its head 

 back suddenh', and this power, which is neces- 

 sary to its particular mode of procedure, is made 

 the most of. With one of its fore-legs it loads 

 its depressed head with as much sand as it will 

 hold, and then with a sudden jerk the little 

 heap is sent flying beyond the boundary of its 

 operations. It mo\'es all around the circuit ol 

 the pit thus shovelling, and then takes a ciicle 

 just inside thc^ last, the newest one always being 

 made (leei)er than the one outside it. One need 

 not follow every step of the j:)rocess, but tilti- 

 mately the sand has onl\' to be hoisted from the 

 centre, for as it is remoN'ed thence it falls down 

 the sides until the j)it assumes the sha])e ot an 

 inverted cone with >teep, sloping sides. it will 

 be seen that with such a construction in dry 

 sand, any creej)ing thing that reaches the edge 

 and attempts to look owr will have the sand 

 fall beneath its feet, and it will be unable to 

 save itself from going to the bottom. All that 

 can be seen there is a pair of callipers sticking up 

 with their [joints apart. The ant-lion ha- buricil 



Pholn by] [II. Main, F.E.S. 



.\poLLO Butterfly at Rest. 



Whrn at rest, and imbibing nectar from the flowei-s, 

 the fore-wings are slipped between the hind-wings 

 to make the Insect less noticeable. In this stndy 

 from life in Switzerlanil the butterfly has not quite 

 settled, as only one anteiin.i has been tucki'd out of 

 sight. Natural size. 



