20 ON ENTOMOLOGY. 



Grub being of a grey colour, and having its body composed of rings, is 

 not unlike a Woodlouse fOniscus), though it is larger, more triangular, 

 has only six legs, and most formidable jaws in form of a reaping hook, 

 or a pair of calliper compasses. The jaws, are however, not for masti- 

 cating, but are perforated and tubular, for the purpose of sucking the 

 juices of Ants, upon which it feeds. Vallisnieri was therefore mistaken* 

 as Reaumur well remarks, when he supposed that he had discovered its 

 mouth. Its habits require that it should walk backwards, and this is 

 the only species of locomotion which it can perform. Even this sort of 

 motion it executes very slowly, and were it not for the ingenuity of its 

 stratagems, it would fare but sparingly ; since its chief food consists of 

 Ants, whose activity and swiftness of foot would otherwise render it 

 impossible for it to make a single capture. Nature however in this, as in 

 nearly every other case, has given a compensating power to the individual 

 animal to balance its privation. The Ant Lion is slow, but it is extremely 

 sagacious it cannot follow its prey ; but it can entrap it. The snare 

 which the Grub of the Ant Lion employs, consists of a funnel shaped 

 excavation formed in loose sand, at the bottom of which it lies in wait 

 for the Ants, that chance to stumble over the margin, and cannot from 

 the looseness of the walls gain a sufficient footing to effect their escape, 

 When the pitfall is intended to be small, it only thrusts its body back- 

 wards. It then examines, the nature of the soil, whether it be suffi- 

 ciently dry and fine for its purpose, and if so, it begins by tracing out 

 a circle where the mouth of its funnel trap is intended to be. Having 

 thus marked the limits of its pit, it proceeds to scoop out the interior. 

 Getting within the circle, and using one of its legs as a shovel 

 it places therewith a load of sand on the flat part of its head, and it 

 throws the whole with a jerk, some inches beyond the circle. It is 

 worthy of remark, that it only uses one leg in this operation, the one 

 namely, which is nearest the centre of the circle. Were it to employ 

 the others in digging away the sand, it would encroach upon the re- 

 gularity of its plan. Working with great industry and adroitness (in 

 the manner we have just described), it quickly makes the round of its 

 circle, and as it works backwards, it soon arrives at the point where it 

 commenced. Instead, however, of proceeding from this point in the 

 same direction as before, it wheels about and works a round in the con- 

 trary direction, and in this way it avoids throwing all the fatigue of the 

 labour on one leg ; alternating them every round of the circle. The 

 pitfall when finished, is usually about three inches in diameter at the 

 top, about two inches deep, and gradually contracting into a point, in 

 the manner of a cone or funnel ; in the bottom of this pit, the Ant Lion 

 stations itself to watch for its prey. Should an Ant or any other insect 

 wander within the verge of the funnel, it can scarcely fail to dislodge 

 and roll down some particles of sand, which will give notice to the Ant 

 Lion below to be on the alert. In order to secure the prey, Reaumur, 

 Bonnet, and others, have observed the ingenious insect throw up 



