CARNIVOROUS INSECTS 181 



Dr. Sharp), " and the contents of the victim are brought 

 into the buccal cavity by means of a groove extending 

 along the under side of each mandible ; in this groove the 

 elongate and slender lobe that replaces the maxilla — there 

 being no maxillary palpi — plays backwards and forwards, 

 probably raking or dragging backwards to the buccal 

 cavity at each movement a small quantity of the contents 

 of the impaled victim." After finishing its meal, the ant- 

 lion hurls the empty carcass to a considerable distance 

 from its pit. 



Ant-lions require fine, dry sand in order to carry out 

 their operations successfully, and their pits are commonly 

 found in sheltered situations which have a sunny aspect. 

 The duration of the larval life varies greatly, and seems 

 to depend upon the amount of food that is obtained. 

 These insects are able to sustain lengthy fasts, apparently 

 without detriment to their well-being ; nor is this sur- 

 prising when we remember the precarious nature of their 

 livelihood, which depends solely upon chance, for they 

 have no means of luring victims into their pits. But 

 when ants and other food are plentiful, the ant-lion soon 

 attains its full growth, and spins a silken cocoon in the 

 sand. The adult insects are nocturnal and of shy dis- 

 position. They are seldom seen even in localities where 

 their larva 3 are abundant, and very little is known of their 

 ways, although they are believed to prey upon small 

 winged insects, while they probably lay their eggs in sandy 

 spots such as the larva? frequent. The habit of making 

 pitfalls appears to be confined to the small genus Myrme- 

 leon. In other genera the larva? walk forward in the 

 normal manner. They either lurk in crannies, or lie half 

 buried in the soil, and rush out upon small insects which 

 may chance to pass their hiding places. 



The voracious tiger-beetle larva? form long, almost 



