THE ANT-LION. 183 



now comes before our notice — a mode of life so strange and 

 unique, that if it had been related by one observer only, no mat- 

 ter how trustworthy he might have been, his testimony would 

 have been rejected by nearly every man of science. I allude to 

 the celebrated insect known as the Ant-lion {My rmeleon formica- 

 ruts). In its mature state it presents nothing worthy of remark, ex- 

 cept, perhaps, the elegance of its form, and the delicacy of its wide 

 gauzy wings, which much resemble those of the common Dragon- 

 fly. But in its larval condition it is truly a wonderful being. 



Though predaceous, and feeding chiefly on the most active in- 

 sects, it is itself slow, and totally unable to chase them ; and were 

 it not furnished with some quality which serves it in the lieu of 

 speed, it would soon die of hunger. The very look of the larva 

 is enough to make the observer marvel as to its method of ob- 

 taining food. Thick, short, soft, and fleshy, the body is supported 

 on six ve*ry feeble legs, of which the hinder pair only are em- 

 ployed for locomotion, and these can only drag it slowly back- 

 ward. Indeed, the general outline of the body and head bears 

 no small resemblance to that of a fat-bodied garden spider. So 

 feeble are its limbs, that they are practically of very little use in 

 locomotion, and even when they are cut off, the creature can 

 move nearly as well as when they were in their places. From 

 the front of the head project a pair of long, slender, curved man- 

 dibles, which give the first intimation that the grub has any thing 

 formidable in its nature. These mandibles are curiously made, 

 being deeply grooved throughout their length, and permitting the 

 maxilla?, or inner pair of jaws, to play up and down them. 



Inert and helpless as it may seem, this grub is a ruthless cle- 

 stro}^er of the more active insects, and, moreover, seldom catches 

 any but the most active. Choosing some sandy spot, where the 

 soil is as far as possible free from stones, it begins to form the 

 celebrated pitfalls by which it is enabled to entrap ants and other 

 insects. Depressing the end of its abdomen, and crawling back- 

 ward in a circular direction, it traces a shallow trench, the circle 

 varying from one to three inches in diameter. It then makes an- 

 other round, starting just within the first circle, and so it proceeds, 

 continually scooping up the sand with its head, and jerking it out- 

 side the limits of its trench. By continuing this process, and al- 

 ways tracing smaller and smaller circles, the grub at last com- 

 pletes a conical pit, and then buries itself in the sand, holding the 

 mandibles widely extended. 



