THE LION ANT. 4^3 



If the infe£t be fmall, and the grains of fand, ootwith- 

 flandlng the declivity of the funnel, do not give way 

 under its feet, the myrmeleon has tinother invention by 

 which be renders himfelf nriatler of his prey : With his 

 head, which is flactened, he throws up repeated fhowers 

 of fand from the bottom ot the funnel, which falling 

 upon the fides, foice down the infeft till it comes within 

 reach. The fatal inftruments with which this animal 

 feizes its prey, are each a fort of mouth or trunk, by 

 ■which it fucks out the U'hole intrails before it is drawn 

 out of the body *. 



When the lion ant has attained its full fize, it con- 

 flru^ls for itfelf an edifice, the external parts of which 

 are particles of fand or earth combined together by fiiken 

 threads: the interior cavity is lined with pure filk, white 

 and glofl'y like fatiU. Within this ball the myrmeleon is 

 changed into a chryfalis, of a curved or femicircular 

 fhape, difplaying all the parts of the perfe6l infecl that is 

 foon to iflue from it. 



After the chryfalis burfls, the winged infecl which 

 rnakes its efcape is of a grsy colour, with a long flendGT 

 body, refembling the libelkila. In this country, the 

 myrmeleon is very fcarce ; a few, however, are found to 

 breed among the loofe earth at the bottom of walls which 

 have a fouth expofure. In that dry, pulverized, and 

 fandy earth, their eggs are prote6tcd from rain, till they 

 are hatthtd by the fun. Vallijineri and Pot/part firft 

 gave the hiitory of the lion ant ; that of the foruicr is in 

 the foim of a dialogue between Malplngi and Pliriyy in 

 which the modern informs the ancient naturalifl of the 

 fingular luanoeuvres and mttamGrp'iofis of thefe animals. 

 3 P a Externally, 



♦ S-eaumvr, Tome VI. mcip. x. 



