TEXAS NATUEE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 17 



This photomicrograph shows 

 •a flea's stinging apparatus, magni- 

 fied considerably, with sharp out- 

 lines of the slight^ curved daggers 

 —which the insect inserts into the 

 "tissues and capillary layers of 

 its victims' skin to draw blood; 

 the stinging and blood-sucking 

 -act being accomplished through 

 jythmical muscular action of its 

 liead and stinging apparatus and 



suction tube. Some of the tropical 

 and local sand-fleas have very 

 powerfully developed stinging im- 

 plements and cause intense irrita- 

 tion with inflammation and ulcera- 

 tion of the parts injured. 



The second photograph shows 

 a small part of one of the hairy 

 front feet of the flea, adjoining 

 the long daggers. 



New Texas Antkiller 



A peculiar and rare insect in 

 •our climate had been sent to me 

 some time ago by the Daily Ex- 

 press for identification, which 

 had been previously sent to the' 

 Express office by V. S. Kowalk of 

 Pana Maria, Texas, in a small 

 square box, including remnants 

 ■of earth and sand from an anthole 

 and large numbers of butchered- 

 up ants. When sent to me the 

 ant-destroyer was still alive, aiid 

 I subjected same and all the ants 

 and earth remnants to a close ex- 

 amination and photoreproduction. 

 It is seen on the photograph here- 

 in, about natural size, and readily 

 illustrates how this ant-killer had 

 disposed of its victims — our large 

 and poisonous red earth-ant, and 

 shows the powerful, large claws, 

 •or fangs, its front head possesses 

 — unlike any other insect of its 

 size that I am aware of. 



As stated, when received, this 

 ant-killer still showed signs of life 

 — as it moved about in a warm 

 room and the first impression it 

 made was the resemblance to some 

 tarantula spider for a young vin- 

 aigron, an animal which has some 

 ■characteristics of the scorpion and 

 of some spider species alike. On 

 account of its divided body be- 

 tween head and thorax (meso-tho- 

 rax), the position of the eyes and 

 heing supplied with haired and 

 , clawed legs, both of these animals 

 helong under the class of araehni- 



dans or the spider family. As the 

 letter sent along by V. S. Kowalk, 

 of Pana Maria is of much interest 

 and importance in connection with 

 the ant-killing qualities of this 

 insect, it is herewith reproduced 

 in full as follows: 



' ' I am sending you under separ- 

 ate cover one bug that will eat 

 red ants and I want you to find 

 out what kind of a bug it is. I 

 found it in the ants' nest just kill- 

 ing them and eating them about 

 a week ago, and I kept him in that 

 box ever since. I turn him loose 

 once a day in the ants' nest to 

 have his meal." 



In viewing the photo herein, it 

 is seen how this animal had 

 cleared up with the anthole and 

 dissected the ants, fragments of 

 which — ^heads, bodies and single 

 feet — being scattered all over the 

 photo-view. This it accoinplished 

 by a regular "saw mechanism" 

 the insect is supplied with at its 

 head mouth parts similar to an 

 ant itself. In examining the in- 

 sect it was seen that two large 

 projecting and mandible-like or- 

 gans supply its front head, and 

 that each of these organs had two 

 extra soissors-like movable fangs, 

 which it uses in grabbing and cut- 

 ting up the ants. 



The head is small as comoared 

 to these protuding powerful fangs 

 and the . head is supplied at its 

 froiital margin with two glittering 



