3^30 



THE JOINTED ANIMALS 



near the front end of the long prothorax; in which respect they resemble the mantis 

 or praying insect. One species is common in South Europe. The larvae live par- 

 asitically in the nests of spiders and tree wasps; and while they are at first free and 

 active, they afterward become almost legless, like those of certain beetles. The 

 allied family Nemopteridce is mainly characteristic of the countries around the Medi- 

 terranean Sea. These insects have elongated and narrow, or almost linear, hind- 

 wings, often widened out a little before the tip. The ant-lions (Myrmeleontidce} 

 may be recognized by their clubbed antennae, and their long and closely reticulated 

 wings, rounded off to an obtuse point at the extremity. 



Of the European species the common ant-lion (Myrmeleon formicarius) is one 

 of the best known. It lives in pine woods. The winged insect, which may be seen 

 in July and September, rests during the day clinging to a plant, with its wings 

 spread like a roof over the hind part of its body. At sunset it becomes active, and 

 executes a slow flight in its search after food or a mate. The larva, to which the 

 name ant-lion properly belongs, has the habit of making pitfalls to entrap its prey. 



LACE-WINGED FLIES. 



1. Chrysopa vulgar is ; 2. The tip of its wing ; 3. Larva; 4. Pupa; 5, 6, Cocoon; 7. Egg; 8. Hemerobius hi'tus. 



It is somewhat oval in the shape of its hind body, and has a narrow prothorax 

 resembling a neck, and a rather big head, provided with a pair of long, curved, 

 and sharply-pointed mandibles, each of which has three teeth on the inner side. 

 Its body is arched up in the middle, and has wart-like protuberances, thickly 

 covered with hairs, at the sides. When about to make a pit, it selects a dry and 

 sandy spot, and begins by tracing out a circular furrow to mark its outer limit. 

 Placing itself inside the circle, it buries its abdomen in the sand, and then proceeds 

 with the work of excavation. With one of its fore-legs it shovels the sand on to 

 its large flat head, to which it then gives a sudden jerk, and sends the sand out 

 over tlie border. It repeats this process, walking backward and maintaining a 

 spiral course all the while, until finally it reaches the centre of the cavity. Some- 

 times, however, instead of continuing to work altogether in one direction, it turns 

 round and works the opposite way, thus giving relief to the leg which had pre- 

 viously been employed. And, as the sand is always taken from the inner side, it is 

 the leg on that side that is always used as a shovel. The pit, when completed, is 

 shaped like the mouth of a funnel, being wide above and gradually narrowed to the 



