. The diary of a sportsman naturalist in India. Hunting; Game protection. SPORT IN THE JUNGLES OF N. INDIA 159 Papilios, Vanessas, and many others which are to be com- monly found on the borders of the forest in this part of India. Beetles droned past, chiefly dung beetles, and rose chafers and cockchafers, though a brilliant buprestis or two is to be found in these forests. Bees and wasps were legion, as were many of the forms of small bugs and beetles which form so large a proportion in numbers of the animal world of the Indian forests. Down in the river-bed, but a short distance from my sta
. The diary of a sportsman naturalist in India. Hunting; Game protection. SPORT IN THE JUNGLES OF N. INDIA 159 Papilios, Vanessas, and many others which are to be com- monly found on the borders of the forest in this part of India. Beetles droned past, chiefly dung beetles, and rose chafers and cockchafers, though a brilliant buprestis or two is to be found in these forests. Bees and wasps were legion, as were many of the forms of small bugs and beetles which form so large a proportion in numbers of the animal world of the Indian forests. Down in the river-bed, but a short distance from my stand, I saw a number of irregularly spaced circular holes in the sand, cone-shaped or terminating in a point at the bottom, the sides consisting of shelving sand. Well known to me were these as the abode of the curious insect known as the ant lion. The mature insect is a harmless winged fly with four large, colourless, net-veined wings with black splotches on them. It is from the grub that the insect gets its carnivor- ous name. This grub is a curious-shaped object, consisting of a swollen body and small head, the mouth being furnished with an enormous pair of shear-like jaws. The grub makes the orifice in the sand and then buries himself at the bottom leaving only his black jaws protruding from the sand. An insect, moving along the surface of the sand above, reaches the edge of the hole before he is aware it is there and tumbles down the shelving sand* to the bottom where he is immediately seized in the large jaws of the .. .....jT , ,â , grab and devoured. I ^:^i'M^l-y^^-'^^ â had counted as many as '-^',V'. j-lii -'' '" ten insects which had gone to their fate at the bottom of the holes I was watch- ing, when I felt a touch on the arm and, looking up, started violently. \''. {f'^^'/^lM'i^/// I thought I must be /z'.^j^J-^^ ^^'^ _^ dreaming. There in front ''^-1 -. '' Zj''-^M^^"M'^ii^ of me were three chita/ stags, one of large size, or so it appeared to me. I h
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjecthunting, bookyear1920
