186
LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.
front, one on each side, and two with which they can see 1behind them. I need not dilate on the habits of this insect, ofwhich I have seen many in England. Another interesting insectvery common in Italy is the Formileon or lion ant, of whichI have never found a specimen here. In the dry hot sand,near the sea or under a wall these insects excavate a hole orfunnel like an inverted cone ; if an ant small beetle or otherlittle creature steps over the edge of this funnel which isabout an inch deep and as much in diameter, the formileonconcealed at the centre of the bottom, casts up a shower ofsand with his head upon the unlucky intruder, whichspeedily carries him to the bottom, where he is devoured.Ants are the most frequent victims to this engineer, whoought not to have been charged with any relationship to theformica family which they principally prey upon. Thatmost curious insect the grillotalpus, or mole cricket,abounds in the light soil of the dry portions of the Maremme .
The general first sight appearance of this crustaceous insectis something like a crayfish, but its two front claws insteadof being prehensile, are shaped as are those of a mole, likelittle spades for digging in the earth. Their principal foodis earthworms, but they will eat bread upon which I havefed them in a cage for several weeks following. It appears ;that at some period of their existence they are enabled to ;fly, like many of the Aquatic beetles, their wings being !folded under a scaly covering or elictrum, but none of such 'as I ever caught had them perfect. Their eyes are verybright and prominent, and shine in the dark with aphosphorescent lustre. In the cage where I kept three orfour of them, I placed a large flower pot saucer full of lightearth, in which they burrowed, but after a short ac-quaintance with me, they would come forth upon mytapping the edge of the saucer and take the food out of myhand.