J?OOD OF INSECTS, 42§ 



Is to determine the extent of its future abode. This 

 being done, it proceeds to excavate the cavity by throw- 

 ing- out the sand in a mode not less singular than effec- 

 tive. Placing itself in the inside of the circle which it 

 has traced, it thrusts the hind part of its body under the 

 sand, and with one of its fore-legs, serving as a shovel, 

 it charges its flat and square head with a load, which 

 it immediately throws over the outside of the circle 

 with a jerk strong enough to carry it to the distance of 

 several inches. This little manceuvre is executed Avith 

 surprising promptitude and address. A gardener does 

 not operate so quickly nor so well with his spade and 

 his foot, as the ant-lion with its head and leg. — Walk- 

 ing backwards, and constantly repeating the process, 

 it soon arrives at the part of the circle from which it set 

 out. It then traces a new one, excavates another fur- 

 row in a similar manner, and by a repetition of these 

 operations at length arrives at the centre of its cavity. 

 One circumstance deserves remark — that it never loads 

 its head with the sand lying on the oulskk of the circle, 

 thougli it Mould be as easy to do this with the outward 

 leg, as io remove the sand within the circle by the inner 

 leg. But it knows that it is the sand in the interior of 

 the circle only that is to be excavated, audit therefore 

 constantly uses the leg next tlie centre. It will readily 

 occur, however, that to use one leg as a shovel exclu- 

 sively throughout the whole of such a toilsome opera- 

 tion, would be extremely wearisome and painful. For 

 this difficulty our ingenious pioneer has a resource. 

 After finishing the excavation of one circular furrow, it 

 traces the next in an opposite direction ; and thus alter- 

 nately exercises each of its legs without tiring either. 



