LEE eee nn ear 
NEUROPTERA. 425 
describing, backwards, the turns of a spiral whose diameter 
gradually diminishes. Their strong square head serves them as a 
spade with which to throw the sand far away. They then hide 
themselves at the bottom of the hole, their head alone being out, and 
wait with patience for some insect to come near. Scarcely has the 
ant-lion perceived its victim on the borders of its funnel, when it 
throws at it a shower of dust to alarm it, and make it fall to the 
bottom of the precipice, which does not fail to happen. Then it 
seizes it with its sharp mandibles, and sucks its blood; after 
which it throws its empty skin out of the hole and resumes the 








Fig. 402.—Larva, cocoon, and 
Fig. 401.-—Ant-lion’s funnel. pupa of the Ant-lion. 
look-out. Ants especially become its prey, whence its name of 
Ant-lion. Towards the month of July, the larva make them- 
selves a spherical cocoon, mixed with grains of sand, in which 
they are transformed into pups which are hatched towards 
the end of August. The perfect Ant-lions diffuse an odour of 
roses; their flight, which is weak, distinguishes them from the 
dragon-flies. We meet in the south of France with a very 
beautiful species of Ant-lion, the Myrmeleo libelluloides (Fig 403); 
its larva can move forwards, and does not dig itself a funnel. 
The genus Ascalaphus (Fig. 406) is remarkable for the long 
clubbed antennz of its members, and for their rapid flight. They 
like the sun, and live especially in hot countries ; however, one 
meets with the Ascalaphus, in the month of July, near Paris, 
on the dry declivities of Lardy and of Poquency. Their larvae 

