89 



the holes appeared again. I then drew out from my pocket an 

 ordinary fern spud, and drawing my arm well back and measuring 

 my distance, I waited until the holes filled up again ; then suddenly 

 lunging out my trowel, I drove it a few inches below and across one 

 of the holes, intending to cut off the retreat of the insect. In this I 

 was more than successful, for I found on turning up the sand that, 

 besides cutting off its retreat, I had also cut off its head ! — the tail 

 evidently went on its way below. 



After a few failures I managed to dig up some perfect specimens, 

 which I turned out on to the surface and examined, when I saw 

 that I had before me a most extraordinary larva, — in fact, quite a 

 comical-looking one, — about an inch and a quarter long ; a huge 

 head, sloping forehead, three villainous-looking eyes at each side, 

 the mandibles turned ^ip instead of down, looking like the horns of 

 a cow ; on the slightest provocation these sharp-pointed jaws were 

 snapped together in a very threatening manner. The chin was most 

 hugely developed, giving the larva the appearance of suffering from 

 ** mumps." The thorax was surmounted by a large semicircular plate, 

 followed by two smaller ones, the abdomen being white and flaccid, 

 covered with tubercles surmounted by stiff hairs. The fifth abdominal 

 segment was produced dorsally into a large hump, having at its 

 summit two short vertical spines, and in the front of these were two 

 longer and curved spines, somewhat hooked at the points. These 

 converged slightly towards the centre and then diverged again, 

 bending down towards the fourth segment ; the anus covered with a 

 number of stiff spines. On touching the tail the grub immediately 

 turned its head back over its body, and with its mandibles seized its 

 tail for a few moments, then suddenly releasing its hold it sprang a 

 distance of ten or twelve inches. 



lat once saw that the larva possessed extraordinary mobility in its 

 neck, but for what purpose I at first could not attempt to decide, 

 neither could I determine the purpose of the complex structure of 

 the fifth abdominal segment. I obtained a large number of larvae 

 of all sizes, which I placed in a strong box filled with sand taken 

 from Hampstead Heath, which process afforded me much amuse- 

 ment at the cost of one of the Heath policemen, who thought he 

 had found a case of " removing the sand." He kindly informed me 

 of a piece of stale news, in that he " had been watching me for 

 sorrie days ! " (and I had been returning the compliment) ; but he 

 was a " new policeman," and did not know my habit of obtaining 

 permission from Spring Gardens before I commenced operations. 



In this box I made holes three inches deep by a quarter of an 

 inch diameter, then turned out a larva, which after endless trouble 

 I managed to back down one of the holes, over which I placed the 

 lid of the pill-box ; then another, and so on, until some two or three 

 dozen were "holed." Next morning several of these had excavated 

 and escaped from the holes, met on the field, and engaged in mortal 

 combat. 



