away."

[Illustration: Pit of the Ant-Lion]

"Has it any cousins, like the locust?" asked Betty.

"Yes, it has cousins; the ant-lion and caddis-fly both belong to this
family. But little Lace-Wing, with its beautiful green body, gauzy
wings, and golden eyes, is the most graceful member of the family."

"How do they live when they are babies?" asked Hope.

"When they are babies," said Ben Gile, opening his eyes wide and
speaking in a loud, deep voice, "they go about like lions seeking whom
they may devour."

Betty was frightened.

"No, no, child," said Mrs. Reece, "not a real lion."

"Just an aphis-lion," explained the guide, his eyes twinkling. "They are
called aphis-lions because they are very cruel to the little green
plant-lice I told you about. You remember, the plant-lice live on
plants, and with their sucking beaks pump the sap from the plants. The
aphis-lions crawling over the plants come across the little aphid. Quick
as a wink they stick their sharp claws in the soft body of the
plant-louse and drink the blood with their sharp-pointed jaws. They are
very fond of eggs, too, and Mamma Lace-Wing is careful of her eggs,
because she knows the mischievous ways of her children."

"What does Mamma Lace-Wing do with her eggs?" inquired Mrs. Reece.

"Each egg which she lays has a tiny stem, and the stems are fastened to
a leaf or twig. When the babies hatch out they crawl down onto the leaf
and hunt around for something to eat. Perhaps if they knew more they
would crawl up the little egg stems and eat their own brothers and
sisters."

"Oh, what cannibals!" cried Betty.

"Yes, it is not pleasant, this Fiji Island of the insects, but it is
their nature."

"They do seek their meat from God," murmured Mrs. Reece.

"Yes, it is a mystery," answered the old man. "But, dear me, I have
forgotten my story. Well, in about ten days they find a nicely sheltered
spot and spin a little silken cocoon about themselves. In this they stay
for a couple of weeks, while they are changing into grown-up lace-wings.
When they are finished they cut a round door in their silken house,
spread their gauzy wings, stretch their delicate green bodies, rub their
eyes in wonder at the sunny world, and fly away to lay some little eggs
on slender stems just like those which their mothers laid and from
which they came."

"See," said Jimmie, "what a place for camping!"

"But it is too near home," objected Peter. "We could get here in two