Marvels of insect life ; a popular account of structure and habit . he head isplaced under it, and it is jerkedout of the way. Carcases of thiskind about the pit might awakenthe suspicions of other prospectors,so they have to be hurled as faraway as the ant-lions muscularpower will allow. Sometimes an Insect of re-lope, will make a desperate effort toregain the level ground above, butthis attempt is rarely successful,lor the ant-lion, feeling the sandroll down upon it in the centre,hastily gets a heap of sand uponits head and jerks it back into theair. Though it cannot take aim,M)me of the gra
Marvels of insect life ; a popular account of structure and habit . he head isplaced under it, and it is jerkedout of the way. Carcases of thiskind about the pit might awakenthe suspicions of other prospectors,so they have to be hurled as faraway as the ant-lions muscularpower will allow. Sometimes an Insect of re-lope, will make a desperate effort toregain the level ground above, butthis attempt is rarely successful,lor the ant-lion, feeling the sandroll down upon it in the centre,hastily gets a heap of sand uponits head and jerks it back into theair. Though it cannot take aim,M)me of the grains will almostcertainly fall upon its visitor,(onfusing him and bringing himwithin reach of the mandibleT^oints. In this style of trappingtlie ant-lion is occupied for twoNcars, passing the winter in sleep,buried at the bottom of its lucky days it has a successionof victims and gorges on theirblood; other days nothing chancesto topple over the brink. Through-out all this period there is noexpulsion of waste from the crea-tures body—as a matter of fact. [liy Thco. Carrcras. A Long-necked Ant-Lion. This remarkable Insect, which is found among the tombs and pyramids of Egypt, is believed to be an earlv stage of the winged Insect in theair. The extraordinary elongation of the fore-body behind the head is probably to enable it to seek Insect victims in deep crevices. It isrepresented on a large scale, its actual length being about half an inch. Ill 112 Marvels of Insect Life* there is no channel for it. Nature has been so careful that the ant-lions pit shouldnot be polluted by such waste, that arrangements have been rnade for its retentionin the hind-body. It is not until the ant-lion Hy emerges from the chrysalis thatit is got rid of. The full-grown ant-lion is provided with a spinning apparatus on the hind-body,with which, when it feels that its feeding days are over, it elaborates a cocoonbeneath the sand, in which it changes to a chrysalis. It still has a pair of man
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