THE ANT-LION. 349 



vour to escape, when once the incautious ant has 

 stepped within the verge of the pit, is vain; for in 

 all its attempts to climb the side, the deceptious 

 sand slips from under its feet, and every struggle 

 precipitates it still lower. When within reach, its 

 enemy plunges the points of his jaws into its body, 

 and, having sucked out all its juices, throws out the 

 empty skin to some distance, that the den may not 

 become frightful to others by seeing their fellow 

 carcases strewed about, This done, the insect 

 mounts the edges of his pit, and repairs whatever 

 injury it may have sustained ; and then, descending, 

 again conceals himself at the bottom. 



The jaws of this creature are hollow, and serve as 

 pumps to draw into its stomach the juices of those 

 insects on which it feeds ; for in the head there is 

 no mouth, nor any other organ which can answer 

 the same purpose. The horns being therefore so 

 necessary to its life, nature has provided for the re- 

 storing of them in case of accident ; for, if cut off, 

 they are found to grow again. 



The food this creature procures by its pit can be 

 but little ; and as it has no power of catching its 

 prey in any other way, its motions being very slow, 

 some persons have believed that its catching now 

 and then an ant by this means, was rather an act of 

 diversion than hunger. But though the Ant-lion 

 will live a long time without food, and even pass 

 through all its changes when shut up in a box, yet 

 it is always ready to eat when food is offered to it. 

 It always appears starved and small when kept 

 thus; and it a fly is given to it in that hungry state, 



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