302 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



entirely upon other insects, and often attacking those which arc bigger and apparently stronger 

 than themselves. The eggs are laid underground, and the grubs, which are entirely subter- 

 ranean in their habits, feed upon decomposing vegetable matter. When fully fed, they burrow 

 still deeper into the ground, and there change into pupa:, from which the perfect insects emerge 

 about a fortnight later. In the common Knglish species the body is shining black, and the legs 

 are yellow, while the transparent wings arc marked with brown spots, which generally form 

 three broken transverse bands. The insect is about half an inch in length. 



Certain allied insects have very slender bodies and long legs, and might easily be mistaken 

 for " daddy-long-legs " by any one who failed to notice the presence of two pairs of wings. A 

 species found in Southern Kurope is reddish yellow in colour, with a brown thorax and yellowish 

 wings. It has a curious habit of suspending itself from a twig by its fore legs, and seizing any 

 flying insect which may come within reach with the middle and hinder pairs. 





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ADULT FORM OF ANT-LION 



Tkt gruk cftlkii insect livei in imal! fits in lonely placet, anJfeeJi up lie ants, etc., which roll Jovin the ihfing lijet 



Allied to the foregoing is the extraordinary little snow-insect, which maki-s its appear- 

 ance in mid-winter, and may even be found crawling on the surface of snow. In gi-iu-r.il 

 appearance it is not unlike a larval grasshopper, with very long, slender legs, and antenn.e 

 of about the same length as the body. There is also a well-devrloprd beak. Tin- wings are 

 quite rudimentary in the female, while even in the male- they are so short .is to be perfectly 

 useless for flight. The insect is remarkably active, nevertheless, and possesses the power of 

 leaping, although the hinder thighs are not developed in any great degree. In colour it is 

 metallic green, with the beak, antenna-, legs, wings, and ovipositor ru>ty red. It is not 

 uncommon in the north of Kngland and Scotland. 



l-'.ir in rally distributed is the I. At T\\ i\< ; -I l.V, or GOLDEN-EYE, which may be 



;i almost anywhere on warm summer evenings Hitting slowly to and fro in the twilight. 



During the daytime it may often be found resting upon fences, or sitting on the leaves of low 



