in HERMIT HOMES 101 



With its short stout and spiny legs and powerful 

 jaws it burrows out a vertical tunnel in the ground, 

 and its flattened head ejects the earth detached. 

 The tunnel is a foot long and of a diameter ade- 

 quate to admit of the larva passing up and down ; 

 towards the bottom it curves into a horizontal 

 chamber. To make ready to catch its prey, the 

 burrower ascends to the mouth of the opening, 

 where it fixes itself steadily by pressing the back 

 of its body against the walls, its eighth segment 

 being developed into a hump-like projection which 

 carries a pair of bent hooks. Its head and jaws lie 

 perfectly level with the soil and are hardly visible, 

 so that any insect will walk unsuspiciously over them. 

 Instantly at the moment the larva feels the touch 

 its sickle-like jaws are opened, it grasps the victim, 

 and drags it to the bottom. Or the beetle upon 

 becoming cognizant of the presence of the insect, slips 

 with great precipitation down the burrow, and 

 naturally the prey falls in after it and is soon eaten. 



An enormous variety of caterpillars, chiefly those 

 of moths of the families Tineina and Tortricina, 

 make homes of leaves, which they twist up and 

 roll and fold and unite together to form safe 

 habitations and abundant supplies of food. The 

 genus Halias, which are very common to France, 

 do infinite mischief to the vines. From the eggs, 

 laid on the top of vine leaves in the middle of 

 summer, the caterpillars are soon hatched, but they 

 do not at once begin to feed, though surrounded 

 by abundance and the weather is warm, they swing 

 themselves by silken threads waiting to be tossed 



