NEUEOPTBRA. 



425 



.escribing, backwards, the turns of a spiral whose diameter 

 gradually diminishes. Their strong square head serves them as a 

 pade with which to throw the sand far away. They then hide 

 hemselves at the bottom of the hole, their head alone being out, and 

 vait with patience for some insect to come near. Scarcely has the 

 mt-lion perceived its victim on the borders of its funnel, when it 

 throws at it a shower of dust to alarm it, and make it fall to the 

 Bottom of the precipice, which does not fail to happen. Then it 

 seizes it with its sharp mandibles, and sucks its blood; after 

 which it throws its empty skin out of the hole and resumes the 



Fig. 401. Ant-lion's funnel. 



Fig. 402. Larva, cocoon, and 

 pupa of the Ant-lion. 



look-out. Ants especially become its prey, whence its name of 

 Ant-lion. Towards the month of July, the larvae make them- 

 selves a spherical cocoon, mixed with grains of sand, in which 

 they are transformed into pupae which are hatched towards 

 the end of August. The perfect Ant-lions diffuse an odour of 

 roses ; their flight, which is weak, distinguishes them from the 

 dragon-flies. We meet in the south of France with a very 

 beautiful species of Ant-lion, the Myrmeleo libelluloides (Fig 403) ; 

 its larva can move forwards, and does not dig itself a funnel. 



The genus Ascalaphus (Fig. 406) is remarkable for the long 

 clubbed antennae of its members, and for their rapid flight. They 

 like the sun, and live especially in hot countries ; however, one 

 meets with the Ascalaphics, in the month of July, near Paris, 

 on the dry declivities of Lardy and of Poquency. Their Iarva3 



