174 NEUROPTERA. 



mandibles as digging-implements. It buries itself at 

 the bottom of this funnel, with the exception of its 

 mandibles, which are extended and ready 

 to seize any unfortunate insect that falls into 

 the trap. Large insects of course readily 

 escape, but the small ones, ants and so on, 

 are carried back to the bottom of the funnel 

 Fi'^22 ^^^ ^^^y ^^ ^^ yielding of the sand under 

 their feet at every attempt to escape by 

 climbing the sides, but also by the efforts of the ant- 

 lion, which throws up sand from the bottom, and thus 

 deepens the pit and causes the sand to slip down 

 from the sides and the insects with it.^ The pitfalls 

 are usually made near ant-hills, and many an ant in 

 travelling to or from its home falls a victim to the hid- 

 den and voracious ant-lion. 



The family Hemerobidse includes one form, Man- 

 tispa, which is of special interest. Brauer has studied 

 its life-history, and found that it is very complicated. 

 The female lays its eggs on stalks ; these hatch, and 

 the larvae are six-legged and active. In the spring 

 these larvEe become parasitic in the egg-sacs of spi- 

 ders of the genera Lycosa and Dolomedes. This larva 

 moults, and the second larva resembles a caterpillar, 

 with thick body, small head, partially obsolete anten- 

 nae, and legs much reduced in size. This larva spins 

 a cocoon, and the pupa remains cjuiescent. In about 

 a month the imago appears. 



The position of the Neuroptera in the classification 

 will be seen by reference to Diagrams I., II., p. 60. 



1 See Emerton, Amer. Nat., Vol. IV., pp. 705-708. 



