1568 THE STORY OF THE UNIVERSE 



In this narrow prison it is easily able to obtain the 

 mastery over its prey, and to suck out the liquid parts, 



The Staphilinus Caesareus acts with still greater 

 shrewdness; not only is his pit more perfect, but he 

 takes care to remove all traces of preceding repasts 

 which might render the place obviously one of 

 carnage. He chooses a stone, beneath which he 

 hollows a cylindro-conical hole with extremely 

 smooth walls. This hole is not to serve as a trap, 

 that is to say that the proprietor has no intention of 

 causing any pedestrian to roll to the bottom. It is 

 simply a place of concealment in which he awaits 

 the propitious moment. No creature is more patient 

 than this insect, and no delay discourages him. As 

 soon as some small animal approaches his hiding- 

 place he throws himself on it impetuously, kills 

 it, and devours it. Near his ditch he has hollowed a 

 second of a much coarser character, the walls of 

 which have not been smoothed with the same care. 

 One here sees elytra and claws piled up; they are the 

 hard and horny parts which he has not been able 

 to eat. The heap in this ditch is not then an alimen- 

 tary store. It is the oubliette in which the Staphili- 

 nus buries the remains of his victims. If he allowed 

 them to accumulate around his hole all pedestrians 

 would come to fear this spot and to avoid it. It 

 would be like the dwelling of a polypus, which is 

 marked by the numerous carapaces of crabs and shells 

 which strew the neighborhood. 



The ambuscade of the ant-lion is classic; it does 

 not differ greatly from the others. He excavates a 

 conical pitfall, in which he conceals himself, and 



