I/O Marvels of Insect Life. 



anv ant made a little circuit awav from the main body, a flv would i^enerally pursue 

 it at a distance of about half an inch, but backing away directly the ant turned 

 towards it. . . . Eventually I saw a fly stalking a minor ant which had strayed 

 from the main body carrying a pupa in its jaws. Suddenly the fly rushed forward, 

 and it must have driven its proboscis, which seems to me armed with strong bristles, 

 into the pupa, for the ant was brought to a standstill with a sharp jerk. 



" Then ensued a tug-of-war between ant and fly fastened on at opposite ends 

 of the pupa, but neither had the advantage till, as it seemed to me, the ant must 

 have got annoyed and, loosening its hold, rushed towards the fly, which, of course, 

 instantly fl.ew off with the pupa, and this it proceeded to suck on the ground about 

 a foot away from the ants. It allowed me to get quite close before taking to the 

 wing with its prey, and it settled again two or three feet farther oft' and became 

 so preoccupied with its meal that it fell an easy victim to my net. 



" I then carefully watched a fly hovering over the ant-column. It suddenly 

 swooped down and rose instantly wdth an ant pupa, with the driver that had been 

 carrying it still hanging on, fixed to its proboscis. The fly carried this burden for 

 about a foot, then dropped it and alighted on the ground near by. The ant started 



to run away with the pupa, but the 

 fly pursued it, again impaled the pupa, 

 and started a tug-of-war with the ant. 

 Neither side had any advantage, and 

 then the fly rose again about three 

 feet into the air with the pupa and 

 ant, and after a flight of about eighteen 

 inches let them fall. The ant being 

 discomposed by this procedure let go 

 The Fly that has no Fear of Ants. ^f ^j-^^ p^^p^^ and no sooner had it done 



This African flv — represented two and a half times the actual . . ^ • i ■ j_ i n " 



size— boldly pursues the marching columns of driver-ants, and SO thail thC n\' SClZeCl it, anCl, n\'mg 

 with splendid audacity snatches from thrm their cherished ^^ . , . .' , , jii i " 



on with it triumphantly, settled near 



cocoons 



by and proceeded as in the previous case to suck the prey. . . . 



" The flies were not always successful even when they had separated an ant 

 with its burden from the main army, for a large ant carrying a small burden often 

 got away owing to the difficulty the fly experienced in getting hold of the load 

 without falling into the jaws of the ant. I subsequently witnessed these manceuvres 

 many times and secured a little series, each fly with its particular prey and tlie ant 

 concerned." 



Several other species of flies, closely related to this bengalia, have been detected 

 in the last few years preying in the same manner upon ants and termites. 



Crickets. 



The crickets, belonging to the same order ^ of straight-\\inged Insects as the 

 grasshoppers and locusts, exhibit their relationship ])articularly by the hind-limbs 

 being developed for lea])ing. Their long, slender antennct, the similar methods 

 of sound-production, and the situation of the ears, connects them with the long- 

 horned family. But there are differences which distinguish them at a glance from 



1 Orlhoptcra. 



