54 Mr, W. J. Lucas on the Emergence of 



given was a small one. When too well supplied, however, 

 larvae were left only lialf emptied. They grew consider- 

 ably whilst I had them, not however moulting, but 

 chiefly filling out after the starvation incurred through 

 being brought here. They made typical pits several 

 times. I saw them not infrequently throwing out sand 

 by the backward jerk of the head. This was done either 

 in making a pit or in repairing it. Roesel, I think, says 

 they also did this by way of artillery, to bring an insect 

 at the edge of the pit, down within their reach. In a 

 broad sense I think this is true; an insect at the edge of 

 the pit may cause some sand to fall on the ant-lion at 

 the bottom, in cases where it does not itself first reach that 

 position, and the ant-lion at once ejects the sand in order 

 to make his trap perfect as soon as possible. The move- 

 ment in the walls of the pit so caused would probably 

 often precipitate to the bottom an insect that would other- 

 wise have escaped. I several times saw sand so ejected 

 on disturbance of the pit, but in no case was there any- 

 thing like aiming the shower of sand at the insect. The 

 eyes are so placed that the insect has probably a fair view 

 of the field of operations ; on the other hand, its artillery 

 only commands a section of the circle, and it cannot turn 

 itself round very quickly should the insect be on the 

 opposite side. The larva appears ahvays to travel back- 

 wards, and ahvays under the sand, often, when replete, going 

 to some depth to rest. On the surface it is not very helpful, 

 except that it can bury itself with great rapidity; it moves 

 to some distance under the sand very quickly."] 



Two living larvse were passed on to me at the end ot 

 September. Judging of the food from the common and 

 scientific names that the insect bears, I supplied them 

 with living specimens of the red ant of the fir-woods 

 {Formica rufcC). They would, how^ever, have none of these, 

 and indeed appeared un-willing to accept anything I gave 

 them. Possibly they do not feed during the winter ; at 

 any rate they ate little or nothing till well on into the 

 spring of the next year. One of the two could have been 

 none the worse for its long fast, since it produced an 

 imago of good size about midsummer (1905). Before 

 pupating it ate one or two caterpillars. These, when 

 seized, struggled violently at first. The ant-lion then 

 rapidly buried itself as mentioned in Dr. Chapman's note 

 when, suddenly as it seemed, the caterpillar became still, 



