The sea coast echo., 1899-12-23

but is hardly more than half an inch
long It's body is fat, andscoyered
with little punches of spiny hairs. liz
has six legs that look feeble enough.
but it has head and pair ofiavs that
are as formidable, compared TO its
size, as the eating apparatus of an al
ligator
Unable to move rapidly or to fly,
the ant-lion gains by strategy what
delicacies it finds necessary to health
and happiness. 1t constructs pitfalls
in the sand, down which the unwary
ant slides to certain death. For the
purpose of excavating this trap it
hunts a spot of loose and dry sand.
under the shelter of ledge or old
wall, or at the footeof tree. In such
places ants are sure tobe proving
about.
Having selected a site for the pit
fall the ant-lion traces in the sand
circular fnrrow about two inches in
diameter. Placing itself On the in
side of this circle it thrusts the hind
part of its body under the sand as
basis of operation Using one of its
forelegs as a shovel it deposits load
of sand on its head, which is square
and faF Then it gives its head a jerk
which tosses the sand to a distance OF
several inches outside the circle. This
process is repeated the insect al
WAYS moving back ward until another
furrow Is completed. Turning and
moving backward in the opposite
direction from the preceding the third
fGrrow is completed inside the second
circle. This process is continued un-
til the art-lion reaches the centre of
the funnel-like pit thus formed. In
shoveling out the sand the insect al
ways digs at the inner side Of the circle
and makes the excavation steadily
deeper. IF the ant-lion finds n pebble
in the way it carefully rolls it onto its
back and backs out of the pit with it.
Failing in this it digs a hole and
buries the troublesome stone. When
the pit is completed it is about two
inches deep in the centre, at which
.pot the ant-liou takes its station,
burying all but its terrible Jaws from
view.
Pretty soon an ant in search of
food reaches the pit. looks down, sees
two odd looking prongs in the bottom
and starts to Investigate. Then the
sand begins t. give way and the
frightened ant frantically tries to crawl
ont. If it seems about to succeed in
this design the ant-lion loads its head
with sand and snaps The sand at the
aut. This is done so rapidly that the
unfortunate ant is struck by volley
after volley of sand and knock ed back
into the pit After the ant-lion has
supped on the iuiees of its victim it
tosses the carcass out Of the pit, re-
pairs whatever damages may have re-
sulted in the capture aud calmly awaits
another AIT. The ant-liOn will not
take dead insect. 1t prefers to do
its own killing. -s -
After two years o. this tricky exist
ence this ogre of the pit makes for IL
self cocoon of sand fastened together
and lined with silk of exquisite tex
ture and color. On the outside this
cocoon looks like little ball of sand
about half an inch in diameter. At
the end of two months the cocoon IS
torn open and large and beautiful
fly resembling dragon-fy crawls ont
and unfolds It's damp wings. Thus
the feTocious creature of this pitfall
becomes beautiful dandy of the III
sectworld. eonteut to fit in the sum
shine few days and die. after having
deposited some eggs that will hatch
out more ant-lions.