The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-01-05
a HUNTING DEVICE.
The Work Of the Ant-Lion and the Lesso
It Taught Man.

The Work Of the Ant-Lion and the Lesson
1t Taught Man.
One of the simplest examples of this
double use (hunting and warfare) is
afforded by the pitfall. which is en-
ployed in almost every part of the
world. and, although mostly used for
hunting. still keeps its place in war
fare. 1t is conical hole. the bottom
of which is armed with pointed stake.
Should q large animal fall into the pit,
the shape of the sides forces it upon
the stake. by which it is transfixed.
Even elephants of the largest size often
fall victims TO this simple trap. 1t is
only large enough to receive the fore
legs and chest, but that is sufficient to
cause the death of the animal, the stake
penetrating to the heart.
Many a hunter has fallen into these
traps, and found great difficulty in
escaping, while some have not escaped
at ali. Indeed. in many parts of South
ern Africa, when part of one tribe is
about to visit another, the pitfalls are
always unmssked. lest the intended
guests should fall into them. Even
without the spike, the elephant would
scarcely be able to save itself, owing
to its enormous weigh, unless helped
out by its comrades before the hunters
come up. Indeed, many pitfalls are
made for this purpose, and are of .
different shape; 8. G., about eight feet
in length and four in breadth.
In those which are mad" for the cap
ture of the giraffe, the pit is very deep.
and the place of the stake is occupied
by transverse wall, which prevents
the feet of the captive from touching
the ground, and keeps it suspended
until the hunters can come and kill it
at leisure.
Even in Belgium and our own coun-
try the pitfall is in use. When the
field-mice were devastating the dis
tricts about Liege some years ago, their
rsyages were effectually checked by
pitfalls, in which they were caught by
bushels, the pitfalls being simple holes
some two feet deep, and made wider
below than above. The late Mr.. Wat
erson contriyed to rid his garden of
field-mice by pitfalls constructed on
the same principle, though more per-
manent. Finding that the little ami
mails made great havoc among his peas
just as they were starting out of the
ground, he buried between the rows q
number of earthen pickle-jars, sinking
them in the ground. He then rubbed
the inside of the neck with bacon, and
left them. The mice stopped down to
lick off the bacon, fell into the jars,
and. the neck being narrow and the
sides slippery, they could not get out
again.
Closely resembling the hunting pit
falls described is a pitfall made by the
well-known ant lion (myrfneIe0). of
which there are several species. The
history of this wonderful insect is so
familiar to US that it need not be re-
peated at length. Suffice it to say that
It digs conical pitfalls in loose, sandy
soil, and that it places itself at the bot
tom of the pit, securing the insect vic
TINS with its jaws as the larger animals
are secured by the stake of the human
hunter, but it always chooses soil so
loose that If an insect approaches the
edge, the sand gives away, and it goes
sliding down into the pit, whence its
chance of escape is very small, even
were there no deadly jaws at the bot
tom ready to receive it.-Pron Reu. J..
g. Woods "Hanaan Inrention ARsies-
pdted By Nature"