180 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



one's attention, for its color exactly imitates that of the sand. 

 It will often allow itseK to be tossed on the ground without so 

 much as a protest, and often simulates death. On taking it 

 up in one's hands it may still act the part of death, but when 

 dropped back on the sand again it almost at once attempts 

 to bury itself by a succession of peculiar, backward, wedging 

 motions of the body. After covering itself from view with 

 the sand it will remain content and quiet. In a few hours' 

 intermission, when the shyness has entirely disappeared, it 

 may again make a new pitfall. 



The first evidence of this procedure is a little shower of 

 sand shot into the air to clear his head of the overlying particles. 

 With the aid ot his active legs, the loose sand or other particles 

 coming in the way are piled on his powerful head and again it 

 is jerked into the air. In this performance he further proceeds 

 in a circular groove, jerking out the sand as he goes, narrowing 

 the circle each time like a spiral. At the end of his work he is 

 found at the point, in the bottom of a deep, funnel-shaped pit, 

 with sloping sides. In his industry he clears the hole of many 

 little obstacles, such as shells, stones, or other particles. Finally 

 at the last moment we are treated to a strange spectacle. Now 

 that the last headful of sand has been cleared out, he settles 

 down to one side at the bottom, where h« sets his jaws wide 

 apart, and there remains waiting for the next intrepid insect 

 prey that happens to come that way. If the expected prey is 

 not soon forthcoming, he does not remain quiet long, for neat 

 housekeeping is the ant-lion's hobby. This, too, is necessitated 

 by the wind-blown sand falling into the pit, and then comes the 

 interruption of his leisure by a pouring rain which, as I have 

 already mentioned, may so damage the pit as to require its 

 complete renewal when the ground is dry again. After each 

 feast the unedible portions of the ant-lion's meals are jerked 

 out of the pit and a general cleaning up is done to prepare the 

 way for the next comer. 



The pitfalls vary in size in different species, the larger ones 

 being three inches across and from one to one and a half inches 

 deep. They are so placed that they are fully exposed to the 

 warm sunshine. I have found them on the tops of bluffs and 

 on the sides of sandy banks. There were almost always num- 



