Termites or White Ants 



make every effort to escape, and in its struggles destroys 

 the pit by gradually filling it up at least it would do so 

 were it not for the energy displayed by the ant-lion, who, 

 by vigorous upward jerks of its head, throws out the sand 

 almost as quickly as it falls to the bottom of the pit. 

 Few insects escape, for the ant-lion, though slow on its 

 feet, is a tireless digger, and will continue to throw sand 

 from its trap till long after its prospective victim is tired 

 and, through sheer exhaustion, falls back on to the ever- 

 expectant jaws. Frequently in its frantic efforts to clear 

 its pit the ant-lion will hit the struggling insect with one 

 of its loads of sand and thereby bring it tumbling down 

 to be devoured. This little happening has given rise to 

 the popular though erroneous story to the effect that the 

 ant-lion deliberately throws sand at its victim, with the 

 object of knocking it off its feet. After a struggle with 

 an insect large enough to destroy its pit the fastidious 

 owner promptly proceeds to construct another one ; no 

 patched-up pit will suffice. When sufficient food has 

 been devoured to enable the larva to go through its last 

 moult and so complete its growth, it buries itself in the 

 sand and changes into a chrysalis within a silken cocoon 

 and a short time afterwards emerges as a shimmering, 

 winged insect. 



In this country we have no ant-lions, but we have some 

 very closely allied insects, in the shape of the lacewings, 

 or golden eyes, as they are sometimes called. They are 

 pale green, gauzy-winged little creatures, whilst their 

 larvae, big-jawed and ferocious-looking, are deadly enemies 

 of all plant lice. The eggs are perhaps better known 

 than either the larvae or the adults. They are always 

 attached to a leaf blade, preferably one which is attacked 

 by some kind of green-fly. Each egg is stalked and in a 

 cluster, as they are laid ; they resemble a group of fairy 

 hat-pins. There is a reason for the stalks. The lacewing 

 larva is a voracious customer, and he would have no 

 scruples about eating the eggs containing his own brothers 



63 



