Marvels of the Universe 797 
at Porlock, in Somersetshire. He has now discovered what the grub feeds on, which was unknown 
hitherto. It was suggested that it consisted of the soft parts of wood, but this could only be the 
case where grubs occurred in nests in wood, and not when in the bare galleries in the earth where 
they are frequently found. Ants possess a special pocket in the head in which they retain parts 
of substances which they have eaten and not digested, and these they spit out. It is these minute 
pellets (which, though hard, must still contain a considerable amount of nourishment), and also on 
the droppings of the ants, on which these grubs feed. The young grubs shrivel and die if kept 
separate from the ants. They change to a chrysalis at the end of April. The integument hardens 
and becomes more brittle, and the whole creature turns brown and remains stationary. Two 
little horns are pushed out in front in two or three days, which are connected with the breathing 
of the fly. In twenty to thirty days the perfect insect emerges. It breaks off the front part of 
the chrysalis case and crawls out. It is then without wings, but these grow to their full size in a 
very short time. The Flies generally hatch at night, when the ants are in a more dormant state. 
When an ant approaches the Fly before its wings are developed it kicks out with its back legs to 
send the ant away. They leave the nest as soon as possible and fly away. The female Fly returns 
after courtship in May and June to lay her eggs in the same or some other nest. The ants have 
been noticed to drive a Fly away, which has returned each time to lay her eggs. 
This species is considered rare, but is widely distributed in Great Britain. 
A DUCK-BILLED DRAGON 
BY W. P. PYCRAFT, F.Z.S. 
Tuat the Land Dragons or Dinosaurs have had their day and ceased to be is, perhaps, some- 
thing to be thankful for; since even the comparatively sluggish vegetarian species would have 
a See 
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ecteeerr eee 
ae 
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Photo by) ; = ay [H. i 
THE SKIN OF THE DUCK-BILLED DINOSAUR. 
The outer covering of this Dinosaur was thin, a fact which tends to confirm the opinion that it was an aquatic creature. It 
Shepstone, 
was, further, completely studded with larger and smaller tubercles, much after the style of the lizards of to-day. These tubercles 
varied in’ size and arrangement according to the different species 
