MY HOUSE AND GARDEN 27 



Having gratified my curiosity as to the appearance 

 of the ant-lions, I was next desirous to observe by what 

 process they constructed their pits, especially how 

 they contrived to make the sides so perfectly circular, 

 even, and funnel-shaped. I commenced my observa- 

 tions a day or two after. An ant-lion was speedily 

 procured, for the servants had now acquired the knack 

 of managing the horse -hair. I had the ant-lion 

 carefully placed on the flat surface of a large lump of 

 earth, and, to guard against the danger of his running 

 away, the lump of earth was deposited at the bottom of 

 a very wide, shallow earthen pan. 



These arrangements completed, we stood by to 

 watch the little captive's proceedings. We waited, 

 but nothing occurred. The ant-lion lay perfectly still 

 and motionless on the spot where we had placed him ; 

 then it occurred to me that perhaps the position 

 did not suit him, so I had him conveyed away to a 

 piece of ground very much resembling that from which 

 we had originally taken him. The change produced 

 the desired result. The ant-lion was no sooner placed 

 on the ground than he began to wander about it ; 

 and I noticed that he moved both backwards and 

 forwards with equal facility. He made frequent pauses, 

 apparently testing the quality of the soil with the 

 sharp-pointed end of his body. At length, I suppose, 

 he found a spot sufficiently soft to suit him, for he 

 stopped, dug the pointed end of his body into the 

 ground, and commenced to move round in a circle 

 as on a pivot. As he moved he shovelled up the 

 dusty soil with his great head and jaws, throwing it 



