SECRETARY'S REPORT. 161 



tlie Cabinet of the late Dr. T. W. Harris, now the property of 

 the Boston Society of Natural History, and not having one 

 within my immediate reach I am obliged to extract the following 

 description from Dr. Hagen's Synopsis, previously alluded to. 



The general color of the insect is " luteous, (clay yellow,) 

 face with a transverse, broad, fuscous fascia (band) ; antenna) 

 long, the apex clavate, luteous, the base and apex black ; labial 

 palpi short, luteous, the last article longer, fusiform or spindle- 

 shaped ; prothorax elongated, narrowei* anteriorly, luteous, a 

 little granulated with black ; meso- and metathorax with a 

 broad dorsal fuscous stripe, at each side a broad black stripe ; 

 abdomen black, a luteous dorsal band upon the middle of each 

 segment ; feet elongated, very slender, black ; base of the 

 anterior femora and apex of the tibial brown ; posterior femora 

 with a luteous band before the apex, tibige luteous, with the 

 base and apex black, tarsi luteous, obscurer at the apex ; spurs 

 as long as the two basal articles of the tarsi, luteous ; wings 

 hyaline, beautifully spotted with fuscous ; the anterior ones 

 with an ocellate (eye-like) spot at the middle of the posterior 

 margin, a double spot at the pterostigma, an apical interrupted 

 series, and some points at the median nervure, fuscous ; posterior 

 wings with a larger orbicular spot before the pterostigma, and 

 some apical spots also fuscous. Length to tip of wings, 1.36, 

 alar (wing) expanse, 2.48." Specimens of this insect are 

 sometimes found which differ from the above description either 

 with the " wings not spotted, but hyaline or sprinkled with 

 fuscous " or " costal space with a double series of areoles," or 

 " without spurs." 



Figure 37 represents a larva of this genus, of some- 

 what rounded outline, furnished with short stiff hairs 

 on the sides, and with long formidable toothed jaws. 

 It is found in sandy places where it excavates a tunnel- 

 shaped hole, and buries itself at the bottom, with the Fig. 37. 

 expanded mandibles scarcely appearing above the surface ; in this 

 position it awaits the approach ofants or other small insects, which, 

 losing their foothold on the loose sand, fall easily into its open 

 jaws ; if, however, one of these should be warned of its danger 

 and endeavor to escape, the ant-lion is said to come forth from 

 its concealment, and by means of its broad flattened head to 

 throw quantities of sand from the bottom or sides of the cavity 

 .21 



