156 



THE UNIVERSE. 



spect, one of the Neuroptera, the famous ant-lion, so called 

 on account of the frightful carnage it makes among the 

 ants, delights only in the sand and the burning rays of the 

 sun. 



This insidious larva, the most ingenious, perhaps, that is 

 known, constructs a pitfall in the driest and finest sand that 



81. Cidndela campestris. 82. Carabus purpureus. 



}. Chinese Cidndela. 



it can find. It consists of a perfectly regular funnel, hol- 

 lowed out beneath the level of the soil. The insect only 

 employs its head to clear out the space. Placing itself in 

 the centre of its work, it loads its head with particles of 

 sand, which it afterwards expels by a brisk upward move- 

 ment, and this movement is repeated with such frequency 

 that the particles form an almost continuous jet. When 

 the sides of the funnel are so regular and sloping that they 

 cannot be climbed, the larva buries itself in such a way at 

 the bottom that we see only the threatening mandibles, 

 which stand open, waiting for an opportunity of being 

 exercised. 



