THE ANT-LION.
Ants are disagreeable insects in any country, but especially so in warm
tropical climates. Their ugly appearance, their destructive habits, but,
above all, the pain of their sting, or rather bite--for ants do not
sting as wasps, but bite with the jaws, and then infuse poison into the
wound--all these render them very unpopular creatures. A superficial
thinker would suppose that such troublesome insects could be of no use,
and would question the propriety of Nature in having created them.
But when we give the subject a little attention, we find that they were
not created in vain. Were it not for these busy creatures, what would
become of the vast quantities of decomposing substances found in some
countries? What would be done with the decaying vegetation and the dead
animal matter? Why, in many places, were it not consumed by these
insects, and reorganised into new forms of life, it would produce
pestilence and death; and surely these are far more disagreeable things
than ants.
Of ants there are many different kinds; but the greatest number of
species belong to warm countries, where, indeed, they are most useful.
Some of these species are so curious in their habits, that whole volumes
have been written about them, and naturalists have spent a life-time in
their study and observation. Their social and domestic economy is of the
most singular character, more so than that of the bees; and I am afraid
here to give a single trait of their lives, lest I should be led on to
talk too much about them. I need only mention the wonderful nests or
hills which some species build--those great cones of twenty feet in
height, and so strong that wild bulls run up their sides and stand upon
their tops without doing them the least injury!
Others make their houses of cylindrical form, rising several feet from
the surface. Others, again, prefer nesting in the trees, where they
construct large cellular masses of many shapes, suspending them from the
highest branches; while many species make their waxen dwellings in
hollow trunks, or beneath the surface of the earth. There is not a
species, however, whose habits, fully observed and described, would not
strike you with astonishment. Indeed, it is difficult to believe all
that is related about these insects by naturalists who have made them
their study. One can hardly understand how such little creatures can be
gifted with so much intelligence, or _instinct_, as some choose to call
it.
Man is not the only enemy of the ants. If he were so, it is to be feared
that these small insignificant creatures would soon make the earth too
hot for him. So prolific are they, that if left to themselves our whole
planet would, in a short period, become a gigantic ants' nest!
Nature has wisely provided against the over increase of the ant family.
No living thing has a greater variety of enemies than they. In all the
divisions of animated nature there are ant-destroyers--_ant-eaters_! To
begin with the mammalia, man himself feeds upon them--for there are
tribes of Indians in South America, the principal part of whose food
consists of dried termites, which they bake into a kind of "paste!"
There are quadrupeds that live exclusively on them, as the ant-bear,
already described, and the _pangolins_, or scaly ant-eaters of the
Eastern continent. There are birds, too, of many sorts that devour the
ants; and there are even some who make them exclusively their food, as
the genus _Myothera_, or "ant-catchers." Many kinds of reptiles, both
snakes and lizards, are ant-eaters; and, what is strangest of all, there
are _insects_ that prey upon them!
No wonder, then, with such a variety of enemies that the ants are kept
within proper limits, and are not allowed to overrun the earth.
The observations just made are very similar to those that were addressed
by Doña Isidora to the little Leona, one day when they were left alone.
The others had gone about their usual occupation of bark-cutting, and
these, of course, remained at home to take care of the house and cook
the dinner. That was already hanging over a fire outside the house: for
in these hot countries it is often more convenient to do the cooking
out-of-doors.
Doña Isidora, busy with some sewing, was seated under the shadow of the
banana-trees, and the pretty little Leona was playing near her. Leona
had been abusing the ants, partly on account of their having so
frightened Leon, and partly because one of the red species had bitten
herself the day before; and it was for this reason that her mother had
entered into such explanations regarding these creatures, with a view of
exculpating them from the bitter accusations urged against them by
Leona. Talking about ants very naturally led them to cast their eyes to
the ground to see if any of the creatures were near; and sure enough
there were several of the red ones wandering about. Just then the eyes
of Doña Isidora rested upon a very different insect, and she drew the
attention of her daughter to it.
It was an insect of considerable size, being full an inch in length,
with an elongated oval body, and a small flat head. From the head
protruded two great horny jaws, that bore some resemblance to a pair of
calliper compasses. Its legs were short and very unfitted for motion.
Indeed they were not of much use for that purpose, as it could make very
little way on them, but crawled only sidewards, or backwards, with great
apparent difficulty. The creature was of a greyish or sand colour; and
in the sand, where it was seated, it might not have been observed at all
had not the lady's eyes been directed upon the very spot. But Doña
Isidora, who was a very good entomologist, recognised it; and, knowing
that it was a very curious insect, on this account called the attention
of her daughter to it.
"What is it, mamma?" inquired the little Leona, bending forward to
examine it.
"The _ant-lion_."
"The ant-lion! Why, mamma, it is an insect! How then can it be called
lion?"
"It is a name given it," replied the lady, "on account of its fierce
habits, which, in that respect, assimilate it to its powerful
namesake,--the king of the beasts; and, indeed, this little creature has
more strength and ferocity in proportion to its size than even the lion
himself."
"But why the _ant_-lion, mamma?"
"Because it preys principally on ants. I have said there are insect
ant-eaters. This is one of them."
"But how can such a slow creature as that get hold of them? Why, the
ants could crawl out of its way in a moment!"
"That is true. Nevertheless it manages to capture as many as it
requires. Remember 'the race is not always to the swift.' It is by
stratagem it succeeds in taking its prey--a very singular stratagem too.
If you will sit back and not frighten it, I have no doubt it will soon
give you an opportunity of seeing how it manages the matter."
Leona took a seat by the side of her mother. They were both at just such
a distance from the ant-lion that they could observe every movement it
made; but for a considerable time it remained quiet; no doubt, because
they had alarmed it. In the interval Doña Isidora imparted to her
daughter some further information about its natural history.
"The ant-lion," said she, "is not an insect in its perfect state, but
only the _larva_ of one. The perfect insect is a very different
creature, having wings and longer legs. It is one of the _neuropterous_
tribe, or those with nerved wings. The wings of this species rest
against each other, forming a covering over its body, like the roof upon
a house. They are most beautifully reticulated like the finest
lace-work, and variegated with dark spots, that give the insect a very
elegant appearance. Its habits are quite different to those which it
follows when a larva, or in that state when it is the ant-lion. It flies
but little during the day, and is usually found quietly sitting amongst
the leaves of plants, and seems to be one of the most pacific and
harmless of insects. How very different with the larva--the very
reverse--See!"
Doña Isidora pointed to the ant-lion that was just then beginning to
bestir itself, and both sat silent regarding it attentively.
First, then, the little creature going backwards, and working with its
callipers, traced a circle on the surface of the sand. This circle was
between two and three inches in diameter. Having completed it, it now
commenced to clear out all the sand within the circle. To accomplish
this, it was seen to scrape up the sand with one of its fore-feet, and
shovel a quantity of it upon its flat head; then, giving a sudden jerk
of the neck, it pitched the sand several inches outside the traced
circumference.
This operation it repeated so often, and so adroitly, that in a very
short time a round pit began to show itself in the surface of the
ground. Whenever it encountered a stone, this was raised between its
callipers and pitched out beyond the ring. Sometimes stones occurred
that were too large to be thrown out in this way. These it managed to
get upon its back, and, then crawling cautiously up the sides of the
pit, it tumbled them upon the edge and rolled them away. Had it met with
a stone so large as to render this impossible, it would have left the
place, and chosen another spot of ground. Fortunately this was not the
case, and they had an opportunity of watching the labour to its
conclusion.
For nearly an hour they sat watching it--of course not neglecting their
other affairs--and, at the end of that time, the ant-lion had jerked out
so much sand, that a little funnel-shaped pit was formed nearly as deep
as it was wide. This was its trap, and it was now finished and ready for
action.
Having made all its arrangements, it had nothing more to do than remain
at the bottom of the pit, and wait patiently until some unfortunate ant
should chance to come that way and fall in; and where these insects were
constantly wandering over the ground, such an accident would, sooner or
later, be certain to take place.
Lest the ant should peep into the pit, discover its hideous form below,
and then retreat, this ant-lion had actually the cunning to bury its
body in the sand, leaving only a small portion of its head to be seen.
Both Doña Isidora and the little Leona remained watching with increased
interest. They were very anxious to witness the result. They were not
kept long in suspense. I have already stated that many ants were
crawling about. There were dozens of them "quatering" the ground in
every direction in search of their own prey; and they left not an inch
of it unsearched. At last one was seen to approach the trap of the
ant-lion. Curiosity brings it to the very edge of that terrible
pit-fall. It protrudes its head and part of its body over the brink--it
is not such a terrible gulf to look into--if it should slip down, it
could easily crawl out again.
Ha! it little knows the enemy that is ambushed there. It perceives
something singular--an odd something--perhaps it might be something good
to eat. It is half resolved to slide down and make a closer examination
of this something. It is balancing on the brink, and would, no doubt,
have gone down voluntarily, but that is no longer left to its own
choice. The mysterious object at the bottom of the funnel suddenly
springs up and shows itself--it is the ant-lion in all its hideous
proportions; and before the little ant can draw itself away, the other
has flung around it a shower of sand that brings it rolling down the
side of the pit. Then the sharp callipers are closed upon the
victim--all the moisture in his body is sucked out--and his remains, now
a dry and shapeless mass, are rested for a moment upon the head of the
destroyer, and then jerked far outside the pit!
The ant-lion now dresses his trap, and, again burying himself in the
sand, awaits another victim.