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which are short, m the second pair, which are longer. The third pair of legs are under the body, and not seen in these figures, but appear in their natural position on the side view which is given of the same insect magnified to about double its size at C, in which the same letters refer to the same objects as above, n being one of the hinder legs. The horns here are represented as if crossed.

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As it has been destined to live entirely upon animal food, and is totally incapacitated from pursuing its prey by speed of foot, it was necefsary that it should provide its sustenance by means of wiles; and the contrivance by which nature bas directed it to apply

its powers with effect for that purpose is of a sort that has greatly excited the wonder of all who have contemplated it. It always chooses for its place of abode a dry incoherent sand. In this it forms a circular cavity of a funnel-shape, highest at the rim, and deepest in the middle. This is made as deep as the sand will admit of without running down. When all is finished, our little animal buries itself in the centre, the whole of the body and every thing else being concealed, except the horn-like forceps, which are left wide open ready to seize the prey, and its eyes at the base of the horns, which just peep out above the surface of the sand. In this position it lies patiently upon the watch until some game shall unwarily encroach upon her domains; and, as ants delight in similar situations, these are oftener entrapped than any other kind of animal; though our voracious watcher rejects none that she can master; not even those of her own species, which she devours as readily as others when they fall into her snare. Whenever a careless rambler gets over the highest mound, the sand upon the inner side of the declivity, being extremely loose, it usually slips down so far along with the creature. Should the ant tumble to the bottom, it is instantly seized by the forceps, whose sharp points, if it be not of too large a size, pierce quite through and through the body, and so effectually transfix it that all struggle is very quickly at an end; but should the falling creature stop by the way, it instantly endeavours to recover itself, and tries to regain the summit by climbing up the sides of the funnel as quickly as it can.

loads its head with sand, and throws it up with a jerk of its neck, so as to make it fall in a shower above the poor struggling insect; and this operation is so quickly repeated, and reiterated' so long, that it seldom fails to overpower the struggler and to bring it to the bottom, where it is seized, and deliberately devoured: I say devoured, though this term cannot be applied in its strictest sense; for the carcase remains entire, and retains nearly its original form after all its juices have been drained from it; and so completely is this done, that the solid parts are rendered quité dry before it parts with them; so that, if no other game presents itself in the meanwhile, the carcase may be easily reduced to powder by the fingers before it be rejected. When it is perfectly drained, the satiated hunter, with one vigorous jerk, throws it far beyond the utmost verge of its funnel. He then repairs whatever damage the funnel may have sustained in the struggle, and patiently resumes his former station.

It is surprising to see what strength this little creature discovers in its struggles with its prey. In these contests the large swell of the body, being buried under the sand, gives it a firm hold of the earth, so that it cannot be easily dragged from thence by force. For experiment's sake, a large bee deprived of its wings was put into one of these traps; it was instantly seized by means of the horns; the struggle was very hard, and long continued; but the formica-leo, by repeatedly raising it up, and knocking it down with great violence upon the ground, at length succeeded in totally overcoming the bee, which seemed at the first to be of twice its strength.

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Such is the undeviating occupation of this little insect when its funnel is in complete order. But as it increases in size, the diameter of its trap must be augmented; and after a certain length of time the funnel itself becomes so much deranged, that it is finally abandoned, and a new one must be formed in its. stead. This is an herculean labour; but insects in general are so industrious, that no necessary labour seems ever to be burdensome: nor is the Formica-leo an exception to this rule. After having fixed on a proper spot, among the lightest and driest sand that it can find, it begins by describing a circle as wide as it intends the outer rim of its funnel should be. This it does with great exactnefs, moving backwards all the time (with its body in the position as at C), as sa gardener when digging, and working busily the whole way as it goes, throwing the sand always to the outer side of the circle that it is describing. The principal tool it makes use of for this purpose is its flat head, which it loads with one of its fore legs, employed on this occasion as an arm. No sooner is the load thus placed upon the flat forehead, than it is thrown by a jerk of the neck to the place intended. It is instantly reloaded and discharged with amazing rapidity, and unceasing afsiduity. In this procedure, the arm that is next the centre is alone employed for the purpose of loading; and in this way our artist proceeds till he has completed the circle. When he has done so, he reverses his position, and, continuing always to load from the side next the centre, he thus changes hands, so that the arm which was before employed now gets

turn of the circle, when he changes once more; and so on, always lefsening the central heap, and deepening the cup as he goes on, until he has completely finished the excavation, and formed his snare to his mind, when he resumes his station in the centre, and takes his rest. I have said, that this creature from time to time reverses his position, so as to have at one time his right, and at another time his left side to the central heap; but he does not effect this by turning his body round, as might be expected. To turn round seems to be a very difficult movement for this creature; to avoid which, when it means to change its position, it traverses the heap of sand in the centre, and begins at the side opposite to that where it was; afsuming the position it means to take as it approaches the circle.

But in the progress of his operations this insect is not on all occasions so fortunate as in the instance above described. He frequently meets with clods in the soil, or small stones that cannot be removed in his usual way, but which require from him much greater exertions of power; nor does he ever shrink from the attempt until he finds that his utmost exertions prove altogether fruitlefs. On these occasions he insinuates his body beneath the stone, and, having by degrees got it placed upon his back, he balances it with the greatest nicenefs, and then, moving gently backwards, shoves it by degrees till he has reached the top; and he has no sooner got it beyond the verge of his funnel, than he there deposits it, and returns to his labour. Frequently, however, in spite of all his care and cautious movements, it is impofsible to prevent it from

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