GLOW-WORMS, TERMITES, SHELLS 233 



curved jaws. The larva lives at the bottom of a 

 conical pit, and whenever there existed a smooth 

 sandy area suitable for the construction of the pits, 

 there a number of the larvae would congregate together 

 in little communities of ten to twenty individuals, 

 though each pit never contained more than one larva. 

 The pits are from half to one inch in depth. A 

 casual glance into the pit reveals nothing, but 

 after careful observation with the eye close to the 

 mouth of the pit, a pair of tiny jaws can be detected 

 projecting like pin-points from the sand. The whole 

 body of the larva is concealed ; only the tips of the 

 open jaws appear in the pit. Small insects, especially 

 ants, are continually falling into these pits. When 

 crawling leisurely over the surface they usually 

 appreciate their danger when on the brink of the 

 precipice ; but if in the slightest degree alarmed, 

 they stumble over the edge, fall into the trap, and are 

 seized in a pair of powerful jaws. The ant struggles 

 to escape ; it tries to scramble up the sloping side of 

 the abyss while the ant-lion firmly clings to it below. 

 It strives to drag itself from this grasp, but only tears 

 down the soft crumbling sand which engulfs it still 

 more firmly in the pit. Should it break away from 

 the cruel jaws, the ant-lion throws up in the air little 

 spouts of sand, and these in their fall sweep the 

 victim back. At length it is drawn deeper into the 

 snare by the traction of those powerful jaws, and is 

 buried in the debris that it has pulled down upon 

 its own head. Thus engulfed, escape is no longer 

 possible ; the ant-lion at leisure devours the juices of 

 the insect's body, casts the empty shell out of the 

 pit and lies in wait for a fresh victim. 



